Pfirst day of the new year of the Hegira, in this case 1444, this Saturday, July 30, 2022 allowed Morocco to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the accession to the throne of Mohammed VI. To do this, the Cherifian sovereign has not departed from the tradition of the Speech from the Throne which sets the tempo on subjects that the king will have decided to highlight to show the course that the kingdom is choosing on a number of issues, policies or economic but also social or environmental, climate change obliges. That of this year was particularly awaited given the important events of high geopolitical, geoeconomic and social significance which have followed one another since the Speech of 2021 where the king had been particularly offensive.
It must be said that, launched in its emergence strategy and encouraged by achievements resulting from multiple partnerships both with structures in northern countries and those in southern countries, the Cherifian kingdom has been particularly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. which hit it, exposing its structural weaknesses. This justified the putting on track, by a special commission dedicated and set up under the authority of the king, of the New development model called to promote by 2035 both an overall rebalancing of structures as well as the reduction of significant inequalities and fractures observed within the kingdom. As if that were not enough, while Morocco was trying to recover from the serious crisis suffered by its tourism sector, which is essential for its economy, the crisis resulting from the Russian-Ukrainian war has come to drive the point home of a situation already perilous and full of uncertainties.
Therefore, while the requirement to converge guarantees and securities between the formal and informal sectors had been revealed, the question of social protection presented itself with more acuteness. More than ever, it was therefore necessary to work on measures promoting the cohesion of the population in the face of adversity. That said, the Covid-19 and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis have only added to the many issues that the kingdom had and still has to deal with. They concern, on the diplomatic and political front, the consequences of the Abraham Accords, in particular on the recognition by the United States of the Moroccan status of the Sahara, the resumption of relations with Israel, the rupture of diplomatic relations with Algeria. In more than one respect, these subjects were addressed by the king who insisted on the continuation of the initiatives already taken but also on an obligation of results.
That said, despite their importance, these issues were not mentioned by King Mohammed VI in his speech until after the question of the Family Code with which the Cherifian sovereign opened his speech on Saturday, July 30. Proof, highly symbolic, that the question of equality between men and women has a special place in the development system of the country as conceived by the Cherifian sovereign.
Be that as it may, in this Speech from the Throne, the King has chosen to set a clearly designated and identified objective for the government and all the institutions concerned, a sort of specification which should be understood as the challenges that Morocco will have to take up in the coming years. First, the Family Code.
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For a Family Code for complete equality between men and women
So King Mohammed VI first addressed the issue of the Family Code.
What about today ?
Since the accession to the Cherifian throne of Mohammed VI, in particular with the reform of the Family Code in 2004 and that of the Constitution in 2011, which enshrines equality between men and women and establishes the principle of parity as an objective, the reforms in promotion of women’s rights have made substantial progress. The sovereign has put his finger on the pitfalls relating to the incorrect application of the Code. And to give his vision. For the sovereign, the code is dedicated to the entire family. It is neither proper nor specific to men or women. In her eyes, the women’s fight for equality has not yet come to an end. Explanation: the Family Code, which in 2004 represented a real leap forward, is no longer sufficient as such.
And the king pointed out in his speech a number of shortcomings which Morocco will have to remedy through the implementation of a second generation of reforms aimed at women. For him, this is “a sine qua non condition for Morocco to continue to progress”. He also specified that “the spirit of the reform does not consist in granting women graceful privileges, but, much more precisely, in ensuring the full enjoyment of the legitimate rights conferred on them by the law”. “In Morocco today, it is indeed no longer possible for her to be deprived of it,” he said, calling on the constitutional institutions concerned with the rights of the family and of women to be more operational. To show that with this approach he is well in his role of Emir El Mouminine, that is to say Commander of the Faithful, King Mohammed VI specified that Islam being the official religion of the State Moroccan, these reforms must be carried out in “perfect accordance with the ultimate intentions of Islamic Law (Sharia) and the specificities of Moroccan society”.
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For a better mobilization of the State
On the aspect of managing the consequences of inflation and the constraints linked to the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the sovereign also spoke. It must be said that the global context linked to geopolitical instabilities is uncertain and induces a rise in prices in several areas, particularly in terms of hydrocarbons and several other areas, despite the concerted efforts of the State and the public and private sectors. The king recalled in this regard that “in addition to a modest agricultural campaign, exogenous factors have led to a surge in the prices of certain basic necessities”. At the highest level of the State, Morocco reacted with an exceptional program launched by the King last February. It concerned a mobilization of around 10 billion dirhams, or 940 million euros. In addition, the Kingdom has also mobilized to allocate significant credits to the subsidy of certain basic products, which has caused the budget of the Compensation Fund to explode to more than 32 billion dirhams, or 3.04 billion dirhams. euros.
To go further, the Cherifian sovereign appealed to the Executive to fight against speculation and price manipulation. “These acts must be combated,” he said. And to ask the government but also the actors of the political and economic circles of the country to offer more facilities to foreign investments and to eliminate all the obstacles which they could meet.
In what situation is the country as seen by the Moroccan Central Bank at the time of this request?
By presenting to the Moroccan sovereign the annual report of the Central Bank on the economic, monetary and financial situation for the past year, Abdellatif Jouahri, its president, set the scene in which the kingdom will have to find the way to achieve the assigned objectives. The Wali of Bank Al-Maghrib indicated that the kingdom was on a trajectory of confidence with a rebound in the national economy and should register a growth of 7.9%. The salutary consequence of this rebound: a marked increase in tax receipts and a reduced budget deficit estimated at 5.9% of GDP, while the recovery in the labor market was only partial.
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For the continuation of the social protection project
Beyond that, more than ever the social component has taken on particular importance due to the Covid-19 health crisis. Along with the way Morocco handled the pandemic crisis and the implementation of the general and free vaccination operation, despite a heavy cost to the state budget, the Kingdom worked to hook up the social wagons to the economic engine. Today, the number of members of the AMO (Compulsory Health Insurance), in this case self-employed workers and their families, has crossed the 6 million mark.
For the king, it is now necessary to succeed in this project considered to be the most strategic of his reign and this around the generalization of social protection for all Moroccans by 2025. As a result, an ambitious objective is set because the bar to reach is that of 22 million members. When this is reached, the Moroccan authorities in charge of the question of social insurance will have to, according to the wishes of the sovereign, proceed to the gradual generalization of family allowances. A major change in the country.
If the economic and social aspects dominated the Speech from the Throne, that of diplomacy nevertheless held an important place. Also, the king addressed the issue of Morocco’s relations with its neighbor to the east: Algeria.
For an easing of tensions with Algeria
In this regard, it is an understatement to say that relations are bad between Morocco and Algeria. The latter is in complete disagreement with the Cherifian kingdom on several issues: that of the Sahara of course, but also that of relations with Israel, which the Abraham Accords have completely changed. Today, diplomatic relations have been broken since last August, the border is closed as well as the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline (GME).
On the Sahara, no development is to be expected on the Moroccan side, the question is imperative and non-negotiable because of territorial integrity. As for relations with Israel, they are rather in the process of being strengthened between Morocco and the Jewish state to the great displeasure of Algeria’s Abdelmajid Tebboune. Beyond the economic and political dimension, there are those of security and military cooperation which are making great strides. Enough to feed a status quo that King Mohammed VI would like to change in the future.
For the second consecutive year, the Cherifian sovereign has indeed reached out to the Algerians, continuing to play the appeasement card by pleading for a Morocco and an Algeria that work hand in hand and for the establishment of normal relations. “The two peoples are united by history, human ties and a community of destiny,” he recalled, deploring the closing of borders. And to consider that the borders between the two countries will never be “barriers preventing interaction and understanding” between the two peoples but also to urge Moroccans to preserve “the spirit of brotherhood, solidarity and good neighborhood that inspires them with regard to their Algerian brothers”.
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In a relatively unstable geopolitical and geoeconomic environment, will Morocco be able to meet all these challenges of high economic, social and diplomatic significance in the short term? The question is asked. It should be said that it is already an important step that these challenges are identified at the highest level of the State and formulated in an exercise intended for the entire Moroccan people. A form of inclusiveness at least at the level of awareness of their existence.