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Mohammed VI of Morocco

Mohammed VI (Arabic: محمد السادس, romanized: Muḥammad as-sādis; born 21 August 1963)[1] is King of Morocco. A member of the 'Alawi dynasty, he acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.[2]

Mohammed VI
محمد السادس

23 July 1999 – present

Hassan II

Moulay Hassan

(1963-08-21) 21 August 1963
Rabat, Morocco

​
​
(m. 2002; div. 2018)​

محمد السادس

Alawi

Hassan II

Princess Lalla Latifa

Sunni Islam

Mohammed has vast business holdings across several economic sectors in Morocco. His net worth has been estimated at between US$2.1 billion[3] and over US$8.2 billion.[4][5] In 2015, Forbes named him the richest king in Africa and the fifth wealthiest monarch in the world.[6][7]


Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced a number of reforms and changed the family code, Mudawana, granting women in Morocco more power.[8] Leaked diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks in 2010 led to allegations of corruption in the court of Mohammed, implicating him and his closest advisors.[9] In 2011, protests in Morocco that were considered part of the wider Arab Spring occurred against alleged government corruption. In response, Mohammed enacted several reforms and introduced a new constitution. These reforms were passed by public referendum on 1 July 2011.[10]

is designated an official national language, along with standard Arabic.[26]

Standard Moroccan Amazigh

The state preserves and protects the dialect and all the linguistic components of Moroccan culture as a heritage of the nation.[26]

Hassaniya Arabic

The (officially titled "head of government") presides over the Council of Government, which prepares the general policy of the state; previously the king held this position. The prime minister also has the power to dissolve the parliament.[27]

prime minister

The king now must appoint the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats in the parliamentary elections, but it can be any member of the winning party and not necessarily the party's leader. Previously, the king could nominate anybody he wanted for this position regardless of the election results. That was usually the case when no party had a big advantage over the other parties, in terms of the number of seats in the .[10][28][29]

parliament

The king is no longer "sacred or holy" but the "integrity of his person" is "inviolable".

[30]

High administrative and diplomatic posts (including ambassadors, CEOs of state-owned companies, provincial and regional governors) are now appointed by the prime minister and the ministerial council which is presided over by the king; previously the latter exclusively held this power.

[31]

The parliament has the power to grant amnesty. Previously this was also exclusively held by the king.

[32]

The king guarantees the independence of the judiciary system from of the legislative and executive branches.[33]

[27]

Women are guaranteed "civic and social" equality with men. Previously, only "political equality" was guaranteed, though the 1996 constitution granted all citizens equality in terms of rights before the law.

[29]

The king retains complete control over the armed forces and the judiciary as well as matters pertaining to religion and foreign policy, as well as the authority to appoint and dismiss prime ministers.

[34]

In theory, all citizens have freedom of thought, ideas, artistic expression and creation. Previously only free speech and the freedom of circulation and association were guaranteed. However, is still punishable with prison.[29][35]

criticizing or directly opposing the king

Royal styles of
King Mohammed VI of Morocco

His Majesty

Your Majesty

Grand Master of the Order of Muhammad (23 July 1999)

Grand Master of the Order of the Throne (23 July 1999)

Grand Master of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite (23 July 1999)

Grand Master of the Order of the Independence Combat (23 July 1999)

Grand Master of the Order of Fidelity (23 July 1999)

Grand Master of the Order of Military Merit (23 July 1999)

Morocco Alaoui dynasty

King Mohammed VI Grants Exclusive First-ever Interview to Time

Laurenson, John. . BBC News. 11 March 2006.

The most powerful man in Morocco

— Qantara.de

Constitutional Reform in Morocco: I Am the Reform!