( CNN ) -- Moroccans voted Friday to approve a referendum on constitutional reforms that would weaken the king 's powers and boost those of the government . The referendum was approved by 98.49 % of voters , the country 's interior minister said . Despite a particularly warm day , more than 70 % of the country 's 13 million registered voters turned out to decide on the referendum , Interior Minister Taieb Cherkaoui said . `` I voted yes because I agree with the proposed changes , '' said Rachida Khalil of Casablanca . `` There is still a lot of work to be done , like appointing of a completely new government , but I am very hopeful . '' King Mohammed VI announced the referendum in a rare address to the nation last month , after a series of unprecedented protests swept the North African country . Under the referendum , voters are empowered to select a prime minister , ending the longstanding practice in which the king has selected his own man for the job . The prime minister has tended to take his lead from the sovereign on key matters of state . Over recent months , thousands of young Moroccans have taken to the streets , inspired by the Arab Spring . The youth-based February 20 Movement wants jobs and an end to corruption its members say stems from royal cronies . It had urged its supporters to boycott the referendum on the constitution , saying it fails to meet their demands . The countries biggest political parties , including the Islamist Justice and Development Party ( PJD ) , the Socialist Union of Popular Forces ( USFP ) and the conservative Istiqlal party , had asked their supporters to vote `` yes '' to the proposed changes . `` Although this project may seem to some non-revolutionary , it has the advantage to make the parties face their responsibilities . It forces them to make their own cultural revolution , '' said Industry Member Ahmed Reda Chami , a member of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces party . The revamped draft constitution will make officials more accountable , the Parliament in Rabat more dynamic and will give the government greater powers , the 47-year-old king said when he announced the referendum on June 17 . The new prime minister would have new powers in decision-making and in day-to-day management -- relieving the king of a number of duties and aligning the style of management along the lines followed by some European Union countries . In an example of power sharing , the draft constitution empowers the prime minister to dissolve the House of Representatives , and stresses that the king shall consult him before announcing the dissolution of Parliament . `` It specifies the conditions to be observed in each case in order to ensure the separation of powers as well as balance and cooperation between the branches , '' the king said . `` The idea is to establish democratic institutions where all active parties participate and bring in prosperity . '' Under the reforms , Morocco will also have an independent judiciary and provide equal rights for women . Analysts , however , question whether the proposed change will prove sufficient . The reforms `` appear to be genuine , '' wrote Joel Hirst , an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations . But `` the security apparatus , cabinet positions and religious appointments remain under the finger of the king . '' `` For a country that has been accused of human right abuses in the past , these reforms for some do not go far enough , '' he added . `` The king may well have succeeded in staying ahead of the protest that has led to the demise of the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and plunged Libya , Syria , Yemen , and Bahrain into turmoil and violence , '' said Marina Ottaway , director of the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . `` Whether this is just a short-lived victory in the first skirmish of a long battle or a turning point on the road to transforming Morocco into the Arab world 's first constitutional monarchy will depend not only on how the king acts in the coming months , but also on the capacity and willingness of Moroccan political organizations to build on the opportunities the constitution offers them , '' Ottaway wrote . `` It may also depend to some extent on the persistence of a protest movement that has so far not been able to mobilize the huge crowds seen in Tunisia and Egypt , '' she stressed . CNN 's Elise Labott and journalist Aida Alami contributed to this report .
NEW : Referendum is approved by 80 % of voters . The change would give more power to the prime minister and Parliament . Morocco has been plagued by protests , inspired by the Arab Spring . Some protesters say the proposed changes do not go far enough .