Morocco Marks 20th Anniversary of King Hassan II’s Death

A shockwave then spread across the country. Many Moroccans refused to believe that Hassan II was really dead, until his successor, Sidi Mohammed, then Crown Prince, announced it in person.

Hassan II died on Friday, July 23, 1999, at 4:30 pm, at the age of 70, from "a heart attack due to complications that resisted all treatment," declares Mohammed VI, his face distorted by grief, around 8:40 pm, on the two national television channels. His younger brother, Prince Moulay Rachid was by his side.

The late sovereign had reigned for 38 years. The majority of those who knew him believed he would not last long in power. He disproved all the forecasts and even survived two military coup attempts, led respectively by General Mohamed Medbouh and Colonel Mohammed Ababou in 1971, and in 1972 by General Mohamed Oufkir.

Today, 20 years after his death, many nostalgic for the Hassan II era still remember the late king. Certainly, he ruled his country with an iron fist, but he would have undertaken courageous economic reforms.

His detractors believe he left his son a country on the brink of bankruptcy. But if Mohammed VI had started where his father left off, Morocco would have taken greater steps in political reforms. However, the 2011 Constitution was never to see the light of day.