Morocco’s Royal Advisors Reflect on King Mohammed VI’s 20-Year Reign

Accustomed to not commenting on the King’s management, the two advisors, Abdeltif Menouni, former member of the Constitutional Council (1994-2008) and Omar Azzimane, President of the Moroccan Association of Constitutional Law (1994 to 2008), gave their point of view on the 20 years of the Throne Feast.

If, for Abdelatif Menouni, appointed Royal Advisor in August 2011, great achievements have already taken place, it is imperative to deepen them: "The priority was to make progress in the field of democracy, to build a state of law, to consolidate human rights, to turn the page on the past, to succeed in the experience of transitional justice".

For his part, Omar Azziman, former Minister Delegate in charge of Human Rights, is concerned about the precarious situation of young people, related to employment. Certain that Moroccans already appreciate the effort made, the Royal Advisor called for social cohesion. According to him, Morocco has made great efforts during the 2004-2006 period, through major economic projects, major infrastructure works on roads, highways, ports, airports, and through the economy, with a focus on agriculture, industry and alternative energies. Today, he believes that the priority is shifting towards reducing social, spatial and territorial inequalities. "It is a huge project that requires a new development model more sensitive to the imperative of social justice and a new territorial policy to which advanced regionalization will contribute greatly," he said.

Dwelling on the political aspect, Advisor Omar Azziman believes that there is a difference in the management of power with King Mohammed VI. According to him, the main difference with the reign of Hassan II is that "we have moved up a gear in strategic choices, state action, the conduct of public policies and the requirement of efficiency".

As for his colleague, Abdeltif Menouni, the new Constitution has "offered possibilities to political parties, allowing them to impose themselves more than before but, in fact, the expected change has not taken place, perhaps it takes time". He also argues that Morocco is not in a "monarchy" of the Spanish or Dutch type, "where the monarch reigns but does not govern, we are in another type of monarchy but the King’s powers are defined".