Morocco's King Mohammed said he will not cede to "demagoguery" a day after thousands of Moroccans took to the street to demand he gives up some of his powers to a newly elected government.
The monarch, speaking after he chaired a ceremony for long-awaited appointments of members of a Social and Economic Council, said that building an effective democracy should go hand in hand with sustainable human development.
Meanwhile, five bodies were discovered in a bank set ablaze in in the northern town of Hoceima on the sidelines of one of many demonstrations calling for change around the country, the interior ministry said today.
Some 128 people, mostly security officers, were injured and 120 people were arrested in unrest yesterday following demonstrations that drew around 37,000 Moroccans in dozens of cities and towns, according to Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui.
Protesters were demanding King Mohammed give up some powers, dismiss the government and clamp down on corruption.
Cherkaoui told a news conference that the protests had been peaceful but minors and troublemakers had committed acts of vandalism in Marrakesh, Tangier, Sefrou and other towns.
The charred bodies were found in a bank in the northern town of Hoceima. Cherkaoui said shops, public institutions, banks and cars had been damaged in various cities hit by the unrest.
"Some troublemakers forced their way into a customs building and stole drugs and alcohol," Cherkaoui said.
He said 120 people had been arrested.
Sunday's protests were the biggest demonstrations in Morocco since uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia overthrew their longtime presidents and sent a wave of protests across the Arab world.
While placards and slogans did not directly attack the king, it was the first time demands for constitutional reform had been publicly expressed by ordinary Moroccans.
Morocco, an ally of the West with a reformist monarch and growing economy, is seen by some experts as less susceptible than its neighbours to the unrest buffeting the Arab world.
Officials say Morocco's commitment to reform has never been stronger than under King Mohammed. As a member of the Alaouite dynasty that has ruled Morocco for some 350 years and claims descent from Prophet Mohammad, the king is considered sacred by the constitution.
Since he was enthroned in 1999, his governments have tried to repair the bleak legacy of human rights abuses, poverty and illiteracy left by the 38-year rule of his father King Hassan.
Reuters