Al-Ahram Weekly 29 July - 4 August 1999 Issue No. 440
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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The young king

By Nevine Khalil

King Mohamed VI of Morocco, who succeeded his father King Hassan II, was born on 21 August, 1963. From a young age he carried out foreign duties alongside heads of state and represented his father in several international conferences. The late King Hassan personally took charge of his political and religious education.

Sidi Mohamed, a single, has had a rigorous scholarly upbringing. He spent more time studying at his desk at the royal college than running and playing like most children of his age. "There are times when I regret it," he once told the French newspaper, Le Figaro.

In 1985 he took over as the second-in-command of the army under his late father. The same year he got a law degree. In 1993 he earned his doctorate. To complete his training he spent several months in Brussels working directly under the president of the European Commission Jacques Delors.

In a 1995 interview with French television Hassan II said his son was his own man. "He is not me and I am not him. It is enough that I have taught him two important things in this domain: to be a patriot to the end, and not to give up, no matter what."

With Sidi Mohamed taking over the throne, his brother Mulai Rashid will become the new crown prince.

Shortly after the announcement was made that King Hassan had passed away, King Mohamed began accepting the allegiance of other members of the royal family and senior civilian and military officials.

Great things are expected of Morocco's new king, not least, an easing of the stifling protocol that surrounded his father.

The new king, half the age of his father, has a reputation for being easy going, often driving his car through the streets of Rabat with only one security vehicle as escort. He scrupulously respected traffic signals, and would willingly stop when someone recognised him and wished to speak to him, even when this meant receiving a citizen's complaint.

Although as king he will have much heavier responsibilities than he did as crown prince, and be surrounded by more protocol, Moroccans hope he will counteract the excessive zeal of many palace officials.

Whenever his father went anywhere, heavy security was put in place three or four hours beforehand. Hundreds of people stood alongside the track as the royal train went by and buildings and roads were redecorated and resurfaced.

Sidi Mohamed is said to be very concerned about social questions and anxious to launch much needed reforms.

Morocco is more modern and open to the outside world than it was when Hassan ascended the throne in 1961 but the domestic situation, both politically and economically, is extremely uncertain.

It was only in February last year that the late king acted to relax rigid political structures but in typical cautious fashion, he imposed a policy of alternating governments and appointed an administration of the centre-left in spite of elections which had produced results that went largely the other way.

The constitution actually states that Morocco is a multiparty state but this is only in theory as the monarch, whose person is considered sacred and inviolable, has absolute powers.

Economically, the new king should be able to capitalise on the policy of his father, a firm supporter of economic liberalism and of the need to modernise agriculture which provides a living for half the population. Foreign investment which has shunned Morocco for a long time now seems to be reviving.

In spite of such developments, the social picture remains gloomy. Fifty-five per cent of the 29 million population is illiterate: one of the worst rates in the world. Unemployment affects nearly 20 per cent of the working population, which includes tens of thousands of well-qualified people. In part, this is because of an inadequate education and training system. The health service is also in a state of worrying deterioration.

The new king is expected to receive strong support from the socialist Prime Minister Abdel-Rahman Youssoufi, who was appointed by the late king 16 months ago after being in opposition for years. Youssoufi told reporters, "We achieved positive results beneficial to our people during King Hassan's era. But there are still economic and social issues to be solved... we are mobilised behind the new king... to solve these issues."

French President Jacques Chirac said late Saturday that King Mohamed was "capable of strengthening democracy and development in Morocco". Speaking in Yaounde, Cameroon, before leaving for King Hassan's funeral in Rabat on Sunday, Chirac said he had known the new monarch since he was very young. "I hold him in high esteem, and I am certain above all that he is capable of ensuring continuity while pursuing the work of renovation launched by King Hassan II."

US President Bill Clinton said Saturday he had "high hopes" for the new monarch as one of the fresh faces in the Middle East which Washington hopes will break the deadlocked peace process.

Sidi Mohamed's political views are relatively unknown as he has lived a long time in the shadow of his father, but he is expected to continue Morocco's moderate mediating role in the Arab world.

"I think King Mohamed will continue the policies of his father, at least in the beginning before we see his own stamp," said one Morocco-based Western diplomat. "He doesn't only inherit a politically stable monarchy. He takes over the religious title of Amir Al-Mu'meneen (the leader of the faithful) which means a lot in Muslim Morocco. Furthermore, he will become the supreme commander of the powerful army establishment," the diplomat added. Half of Morocco's 200,000-strong army is stationed in Western Sahara.

Diplomats believe that King Mohamed's primary mission will be to resume his father's recent reconciliation effort with Algeria in order to resolve the Western Sahara dispute.

King Hassan was to have met with new Algerian President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika in the next few weeks amid reports they would agree to reopen their 1,200km-long land borders. Algeria supports the Polisario Front that seeks independence in the former Spanish colony, most of which is controlled by Morocco. The future of the phosphate-rich territory will be decided by a UN-brokered referendum set for July 2000.

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