He does not speak to the public or answer questions. He made his high school friends into ministers and a fighter into his closest advisor... So, would you like to get to know the king of Morocco, which was shaken by the earthquake?
Mohammed VI, who turns 60 on August 21, 2023, is the richest and most powerful person in Morocco. According to the Constitution, as the "Commander of the Faithful", he is in charge of both the armed forces and religious affairs. Although he is the head of the constitutional monarchy in the form of a semi-democracy, he has distributed the main authority and power to his advisors and ministers, most of whom are his high school friends. However, he must give personal permission for each action. According to Moroccans close to the government, it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach the king.
Mohammed VI (born 21 August 1963) is the 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.
The King is becoming increasingly close to the young Moroccan Abubakr Abu Azaitar, a German-born mixed martial arts master, and his two brothers, whom he met during his divorce in 2018. According to some, Abu Azaitar is the buffer between the king and his advisors. However, while the palace and family members compete with each other to win the king's love and attention, palace life and the personality of Muhammad VI remain mysterious. So is his health condition. He has had different problems in the past, such as heart arrhythmia and viral pneumonia, but there is no official information about his current health condition. Rumors about the king are generally spread by those with personal and political interests in Morocco. The media is under strict control, and it has been years since the king, who has no press conferences or television interviews, has appeared in an unprepared interview. Morocco is the success story of North Africa because it is a relatively open, stable, and attractive country for industry and tourism. It is one of the West's reliable partners in the fight against terrorism and recognized Israel in 2020.
The King also managed the Arab Spring of the early 2010s better than his neighbors. It achieved a more modern, democratic tone with domestic and political changes. After the bomb attacks in 2003, he and his government did not tolerate radical religious politics and terrorism. Confusion about his power and life seriously undermines this reputation, although not significantly. His private life is a taboo subject, similar to that of the Thai king. Its attitude towards the earthquake reminds us of the disaster that cost more than 600 lives in 2004. Then too, the authorities were not around until the king showed up in the ruined villages a few days after the earthquake. But twenty years have passed.
Moroccan economist Fouad Abdelmoumni says, "It seems that the king's devoting so much time to the Azaitar brothers, giving so much authority, the brothers' behavior towards society and elites, and its impact on the image of both the king and the state are very disturbing to the palace circle." The life of the king, his entourage, as well as his 20-year-old son and heir Moulay Hassan, is shrouded in official silence. Aboubakr Jamai, an award-winning newspaper publisher who went into exile after a defamation case in 2007, said: “We don't actually know the king. We've never seen him answer even a regular question, let alone a difficult one. “He always reads from paper,” he says.
Prison sentence for criticizing
Open criticism of the king is rare because penalties are harsh. Moreover, political opposition has been weakened and marginalized. While the king is generally respected, criticism is directed at the government. Moroccans who have left the country speak more freely.
He was on the cover of Time
Although his father, Hassan II, was authoritarian, he had powerful and diverse advisors. Muhammad VI, on the other hand, lives in a sort of bell jar and, according to journalist Jamai, has made both himself and his courtiers rich. Muhammad VI ascended the throne in 1999. In an interview with Time magazine the following year, he described himself as a reformer intent on fighting “poverty, misery and ignorance.” “But no matter what I do, it will never be enough for Morocco,” he said.
With his team of high school classmates, he made serious and important changes in conservative Morocco. He released some political prisoners and, after great debate, changed the family law and raised the marriage age from 15 to 18.
New laws brought the country closer to gender equality. Women were given the right to request a divorce, and first wives were given the right to refuse their husbands' wishes to marry a second woman. According to the traditional procedure, it was enough for the husband to give a letter to divorce his wife. With the new law, divorce has become a legal procedure.
Polygamy is still legal, provided the first spouse agrees. Homosexuality and sexual intercourse outside of marriage are prohibited. Although the King managed the Arab Spring well, there were some protests in 2011 and 2016-17 that were suppressed by the government. Then the pressure on the media increased and continues to increase.