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King of Morocco Calls for Rapid Reforms to Alleviate Tensions
King Mohammed VI of Morocco issued a direct speech today, Friday, urging the swift implementation of necessary reforms to create job opportunities for youth, improve the quality of public services, and develop rural areas. He warned against any neglect in the efficiency of public investment. This call represents a significant step by the Moroccan monarch, following a week of widespread protests led by Moroccan youth demanding improvements in the health and education sectors and the eradication of rampant corruption.
At the start of the new parliamentary legislative session, the king emphasized that the country is expecting a faster pace and stronger impact from local development programs that the government has been instructed to prepare, with a focus on the bilateral relationship between urban and rural areas to achieve balanced and sustainable development. He stressed that the primary priorities include strengthening local initiatives, boosting economic activity, providing employment opportunities for youth, advancing the education and health sectors, and rehabilitating rural regions, while addressing practices that waste time, effort, and resources.
The king pointed out that the effectiveness and productivity of public investment must not be overlooked, with special attention to the most vulnerable regions, particularly mountainous areas and oases, taking into account their unique characteristics and needs. This speech comes days after protests by the "Generation Z" movement, which launched on the Discord platform in September to protest the deteriorating health and educational conditions, especially following the deaths of eight pregnant women at a public hospital in Agadir. The situation shifted the movement’s demands from social issues and public policies to calls for fighting corruption, government resignation, and even calls for boycotting companies linked to Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
