King Mohammed VI of Morocco: A 21-Year Reign of Achievement
King Mohammed VI of Morocco celebrated 21 years on the throne on July 29th. Since his coronation on July 23, 1999, at the age of 35 when he succeeded his father, King Hassan II, King Mohammed VI has implemented a broad range of initiatives designed to improve the lives of Moroccans and strengthen Moroccan institutions.
Africa’s wealthiest monarch, King Mohammed VI, with a fortune estimated at more than $2.5 billion, enjoys popularity among his people. Over the last 21 years, he has brought social, democratic and economic reforms to Morocco and addressed tough issues such as poverty, improving foreign relations, and putting into place political and constitutional reforms that have reduced his power and strengthened the powers of the Moroccan parliament.
While more remains to be done, these are some of the key achievements and landmarks of King Mohammed VI’s reign to date.
New Constitution
One of the most significant things King Mohammed VI has accomplished during his reign is to have established a new Moroccan Constitution in 2011. The new Constitution established Morocco as a constitutional monarchy. This new constitution strengthened democracy in Morocco by limiting the king’s political power, delegating power to regional governments, and also strengthening the national parliament.
Very importantly on a sociological level, the 2011 Constitution recognized all of the diverse ethnic groups that make up the population, including the Jewish community and the original Amazigh (Berber) population.
It also recognized Tamazight — the Amazigh language whose dialects are spoken by at least half if not more of Morocco’s population — as an official language of Morocco in addition to Arabic.
The Constitution also guaranteed women “civic and social” equality with men, and guaranteed citizens freedom of thought, ideas, and artistic expression. While many of these constitutional guarantees have yet to be tested, they nonetheless are the critical beginnings of a democratic transition.
Legal Reforms
Another important reform during King Mohammed VI’s reign is reform of Morocco’s Family Code, the Moudawana. It was modified in 2004 expressly to grant more rights to women with respect to the family, as well as equal rights in marriage, access to property upon divorce, and more equality in inheritance matters. The Code also encourages women’s participation in politics and society.
Morocco’s Family Code is now one of the most progressive set of laws on women and family rights in the Arab world.
In 2013–2014, Morocco began to engage in a program of judicial reform, and the Moroccan American Network took a delegation of 150 American lawyers and judges from the National Bar Association in the US to Morocco.
Justice for Past Wrongs
Also in 2004, King Mohammed established the Moroccan Truth & Reconciliation Commission, an independent body to investigate human right violations during his father, King Hassan’s rule.
His father’s 38-year reign from 1961 to 1999 had been marked by long-term imprisonments without trial and forced disappearances of activists and political opponents, something that touched my own Moroccan family.
To make things right, King Mohammed accepted the commission’s restitution recommendations and provided somewhere around $200 million in compensation to more than 25,000 aggrieved Moroccans.
Economic Opportunities
Just a year later in 2005, King Mohammed established the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) to address issues of poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion. The program provides health care, social reintegration, job training and other human services to the poor in urban and rural communities.
Morocco has been making major investments around the country, especially in the south. The kingdom has invested heavily in new infrastructure, including highways, a new high-speed train (TGV), a bigger more efficient TangerMed Port, modern airport renovations, strategically placed business zones, and two state-of-the-art satellites named after the king, the most recent of which launched last November.
Tourism
Before the coronavirus pandemic, tourism was one of the most significant drivers of Morocco’s GDP. As of 2018, it represented anywhere from 8% to 15%, depending on whether the indirect effects are counted. Morocco had been expanding especially on tourism between Morocco and the US, making travel easier between the two countries. In 2019, several additional direct flights from the US to Morocco were launched on Morocco’s national airline Royal Air Maroc. New routes from Boston and Miami now supplement the two existing direct flights to Casablanca from New York and Washington, D.C.
International Leadership
Morocco increasingly is hosting major global conferences, such as the annual Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Framework on Climate Change in 2017 (COP 22) and the Global Entrepreneur Summit in 2014, both of which were held in Marrakech.
Morocco Turns South
Perhaps one of the most important changes that King Mohammed has orchestrated is a major reorientation of Morocco to Africa. The king’s vision is to make Morocco a leader on the continent.
It is interesting that, as a student at university, the king apparently wrote a research paper on the Arab-African Union and Morocco’s strategy regarding international relations. In 2017, Morocco rejoined both the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after having been out of both for 33 years.
Through several African tours, the king has realigned Morocco from primarily a Europe-facing country now to looking more to the south to the African continent. He has worked to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations with sub-Saharan African countries. He has also implemented a number of cooperation agreements across Africa, focussing on economic development, security, and religious moderation.
Education
The king also has an eye on education, something very important to Morocco’s development as a modern nation. Morocco’s 2019 budget prioritized education, health, and jobs. Higher education is also very important to this king.
The new Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Ben Guerir, named after the king, is expected to become a major educational hub for African students. The university contemplates establishment of a new law school for the 21st Century that will focus on public and private international law, creating global thinkers and advocates. In addition, a new, state-of-the-art teaching and research hospital is being built on the campus and is expected to be operational after 2020.
Promoting Religious Tolerance and Countering Terrorism and Extremism
Mohammed VI has focused on promoting religious moderation and counterterrorism. Through a program that brings imams (Muslim clerics) from Mali, Libya, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, the Maldives, and Nigeria, he is focusing on training to recognize and combat religious extremism.
One of the most interesting innovations under King Mohammed VI has been the training of women imams, or mourchidates, beginning in 2005. Morocco is unique in this.
Mourchidates are female Muslim clerics whose role is to help usher in a more moderate Islam. The mourchidates are thought in some ways to be a liberating force for women, as well as an inhibitor of radicalism.
New Opportunities for Women
Another occupation formerly closed to women is the adoul. An adoul is something between a notary and a lawyer. An adoul’s services are typically required in any transaction under Islamic law. In January 2018, King Mohammed declared by royal decree that women could be trained as adouls. Women can now document marriages on behalf of the government, manage inheritance cases, administer real estate transactions, and document witness testimony required for legal proceedings.
Response to COVID-19
Thanks to the Leadership of King Mohammed VI, after the discovery of Morocco’s first case of COVID-19 in early March 2020 Morocco responded immediately and proactively, closing the kingdom’s borders and implementing a kingdom-wide lockdown. The country declared a state of emergency on March 20, 2020, issuing restrictions on travel and stay-at-home orders, and requiring special authorization for individuals to move in public.
At the same time, King Mohammed VI announced the establishment of a special billion dollar COVID 19 fund that grew within days to more than $3 billion thanks to contributions from the public and private sectors. The fund has been used over the past four months to buttress Morocco’s medical infrastructure and readiness to deal with a pandemic, mobilize industry to produce personal protective equipment and ventilators, and muster the kingdom’s forces to manage the lockdown.
To date, Morocco has spent 24.65 billion dirhams (more than $2.6 billion) on social support programs and production of medical supplies and infrastructure.
Throne Day 2020 Speech
King Mohammed VI delivered his annual Throne Day speech on July 29th. In a message of hope and solidarity with his people, he encouraged the government to do more.
Recognizing that COVID-19 has revealed a number of areas that require improvement, he urged that “good governance” is needed, and good governance must be based on “constructive social dialogue and on the principles of integrity, transparency and fairness.” He said the country would address the social and economic impacts of the health and economic crisis by “building on a comprehensive, future-oriented approach” and by “learning lessons” from experience in combatting the pandemic.
King Mohammed VI has spoken before about the need for public servants to actually serve the public, and he hearkened back to that message. He directed that the sweeping reforms of the civil service be “expedited.”
Further, he directed that the “structural deficiencies of public institutions and state enterprises” be remedied, and announced that a national agency would be established to oversee the strategic management and performance of public institutions.
Morocco’s economy has been significantly impacted by the pandemic, especially with respect to major sectors such as tourism, and small and medium enterprises. Stating that the social protection of all Moroccans is his “chief concern,” King Mohammed VI said that the time has come to expand “social welfare coverage to all Moroccans within the next five years.”
He also clearly recognized that the danger of COVID 19 is not over yet, remarking upon the recent “laxness” in compliance with the health protocols. His Majesty called upon everyone to “remain mobilized and vigilant . . . and to comply with the safety measures.”
Challenges Ahead, But a Bright Future
King Mohammed VI’s accomplishments during his 21-year reign are many. He promised a new era of openness and democracy when he ascended the throne, and he has substantially delivered.
As he recognized on Wednesday, however, Morocco has a number of “shortcomings” that need to be addressed, and they are not only in the social sphere of providing an economic safety net for Moroccans substantially affected by the pandemic’s economic crisis.
Morocco continues to have a long way to go in transitioning to a democracy with full civil rights for all, especially with respect to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and fostering citizens’ trust in government through the eradication of corruption.
Promoting genuine political change and reducing social inequality will be key to Morocco’s success. With the continued leadership, beneficence, and vision of King Mohammed VI for Morocco’s development into a modern nation that values not only its history and heritage, but also embraces education, innovation, and good governance, Morocco is on the path to a bright future.
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“I have great admiration for King Mohammed VI. We were born in the same year and we both have law degrees. I think his vision for Morocco is taking the country in a very positive direction.” ~ Elisabeth R. Myers
A version of this article was published in 2019 in African Diaspora Today, falsely attributed to the magazine’s editor in chief and two other supposed co-contributors. The content was then, and is now, mine as the sole author of this material.
