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Independent North Africa
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Bekkai government, the conservative wing of the party formed
* government
under the stewardship of Balafrej. This lasted
from May to December 1958, and made an indifferent record.
It was a period when events in the Middle East like the Iraqi
Revolution made the palace sensitive, while labor disorders
increased in the cities. Late in the year an uprising in the Rif
,
stemming from both economic and political discontent, was
forcefully put down by the Royal Army led by Crown Prince
(now King) Mulay Hassan. It was also a time when intra-
party disharmony came to open rupture. The government was
forced to resign and, after three weeks of consultations, the
King chose a cabinet directed by one of the leaders of the op-
posing faction, Ibrahim, although members were to serve,
according to royal decision, on a personal and not party basis.
The purpose of this cabinet was to prepare for elections and
resign, but in fact it lingered in office well over a year, during
which time political confusion reached a climax. The Istiqlal
split into two segments, and in the summer of 1959 the
"progressive" wing, as it cermed itself, organized a new party,
the National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP), which united
Istiqlal secessionists, dissidents from minor parties, and leaders
of the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT). Chaos was the only
description of the events of early 1960. The government re-
fused to resign voluntarily and signs of impatience and hostility
multiplied from the palace, particularly from the Crown
Prince, who was politically very active. To compensate for the
defection of the UMT, the Istiqlal had formed a rival labor
union which did not attract a large clientele, but private po-
litical and union strong-arm squads brought a return of vio-
lence to the cities. The government was powerless since the
palace had control of the security forces, and it refused to
intervene. The situation was such that in fact the leaders of the
government were the chiefs of the opposition, and an uprising
in the Atlas was attempted not against but in favor of the
government. To check further degradation, the King stepped
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