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International royals

Morocco’s King Mohammed urges government to improve social services

King Mohammed VI celebrated 19 years on the Moroccan throne on Sunday. As per tradition, he delivered a speech for television and radio. In that speech he stressed that the social issues in the country need and deserve a better approach.

In the speech, His Majesty spoke at length about the failing social services for his people. He urged the government to take “emergency measures”, particularly in health and education.

King Mohammed said: “Therefore, I invite the Government and all relevant actors to undertake a comprehensive and deep restructuring of national social protection and support programs and policies and to submit proposals for their evaluation modalities.”

The King of Morocco asked for ‘rigorous impetus to programs to support schooling’ and a reshaping of the health system, which he says is ‘characterized by glaring inequalities and weak management.’

He also urged the government to ‘undertake a comprehensive and deep restructuring’ of existing programs concerning social support and social protection.

Other key points in his speech were responsive and accountable political elites and responsible and participatory citizenship.

He stressed that: “the country cannot rise to its numerous challenges without a genuine commitment to unity, peace, and stability.” 

The King asked its citizens to show patriotism and a strong commitment to the destiny of the mother country.

In this way, King Mohammed spoke out for the first time on the continuing protests in Northern Morocco and a months-long boycott of the country’s leading companies.

The Moroccan people demand that the detainees of the movement called ‘Hirak’ meaning mobility receive a Royal pardon. This, however, is not likely to happen any time soon. The Hirak Rif movement is a popular protest movement that took place in the Berber-speaking Rig region in northern Morocco between 2016 and 2017.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has implemented a number of serious social and economic reforms since ascending to the throne. However more needs to be done. Morocco is suffering from severe social and territorial inequalities against a background of high youth unemployment.

The King said: “The commemoration of Throne Day, which today marks the nineteenth anniversary of my accession to the throne, is testament to the allegiance binding me to you, and to the mutual covenant between us to remain forever faithful to Morocco’s sacred, immutable values and to make whatever sacrifices are needed for its unity and stability.”

About author

Laura is from Belgium and has a passion for all things royal. She is Europe Correspondent for Royal Central since October 2016 and has contributed to other news websites. In her daily life she is a fulltime student in EU-politics and political communication.