Mohammed VI

The current King of Morocco . He ascended the throne after Hassan II .

He was born on August 21, 1963, as the eldest son (second child) of King Hassan II and Queen Laila Latifa. His father, Hassan II, gave Prince Mohammed a thorough religious and political education from a very young age. Muhammad entered the traditional Islamic school within the royal palace at the age of only four. It was a tight routine , starting at 6 a.m. every morning with reciting the Quran for an hour, followed immediately by regular classes.

Prince Mohammed completed his primary and secondary education at Collège Royale (Royal School), a special school built within the walls of the royal palace. Hassan II wanted his son to grow up strong amid competition, so he carefully selected 12 gifted students who were reputed to be the smartest among their peers and had them study together. However, he was so strict that if his son was shown to be lagging behind in his studies among bright students, he would order his servants to whip him up to 20 lashes. Muhammad Aouad, a former diplomat and professor who later rose to the position of minister, took charge of his education, and he received the utmost care from nannies from Morocco and Europe. Thanks to this harshly focused environment for education, Mohammed showed outstanding talent, especially in the field of languages.

Since he was raised as the next monarch from a very young age, he appeared on official occasions very early. His first public appearance was in 1971, when he was eight years old, when he personally greeted US Vice President Spiro Agnew at the Royal Palace in Rabat. In 1974, when he was ten, he attended the funeral of French President Georges Pompidou on behalf of his father.

Prince Mohammed passed the university entrance examination (Baccalaureate) in 1981 and entered King Mohammed V University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in law in 1985. The topic of the graduation thesis was 'International Relations Strategy of the Arab-African Union and the Kingdom of Morocco'. In the same year, he was appointed chairman of the organizing committee of the Arab Games, and on November 26 he was appointed brigadier general of the Royal Moroccan Army. He later served as Coordinator of the Royal Army General Headquarters until 1994. He earned a master's degree in political science (CES) in 1987, and an advanced studies degree in public law (DEA) in July of the following year. In November 1988, while continuing my studies, I moved to Belgium. He went to Brussels and received practical training under European Commission President Jacques Delort .

Prince Mohammed enjoyed a free-spirited life in Europe , escaping from the stuffy Morocco , and enjoyed frequenting high-end bars. When his father, King Hassan II, heard that the young crown prince frequented bars, he was shocked and expressed great disappointment in his son. There were rumors that a despondent King Hassan II privately lamented his son's behavior, calling it a 'chromosomal error'. In the end, Prince Mohammed went to France He had to go to Nice to study and stay under the close surveillance of the Minister of the Interior dispatched by his father. Meanwhile, on October 29, 1993, he received a Doctor of Laws degree with distinction from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis with a thesis titled 'Relations between the European Economic Community (EEC) and the Maghreb'. The following year, on July 12, 1994, he was promoted to major general, and in the same year, he assumed the positions of Chairman of the Supreme Council for Culture and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Moroccan Army.

Perhaps as a reaction to excessive education during his childhood, the New York Times reported that Crown Prince Mohammed "earned the reputation of a 'playboy' by indulging himself in sports cars and clubs while waiting for the throne." According to a childhood friend, he fantasized about the world beyond the walls, but rarely went outside the walls. One of his favorite songs was 'Breakfast in America' by British rock band Supertramp, which captures the excitement of traveling on a large airliner.

As time passed, the rift between father and son deepened as the son spent his free time playing abroad. Prince Mohammed stubbornly avoided meeting his father even while staying in Morocco. Instead, he frequented Amnesia, an unlicensed club in the basement of Rabat , as a hideout. Thanks to Fouad Ali El Himma, a close friend from his school days, installing a private elevator that went directly from his apartment on the upper floor of the club to the inside of the club, the crown prince was able to go to and from the club as much as he wanted without being noticed.

On July 23, 1999, when his father, King Hassan II, passed away, Mohammed finally ascended to the throne. At the coronation ceremony held a week later on July 30, King Mohammed VI solemnly promised through state broadcasting that he would eradicate poverty and corruption, create jobs, and raise the level of human rights in Morocco.

King Mohammed VI did not just shout words but took immediate action. The hardliner Interior Minister Dries Basri, who had absolute trust from his father and wielded omnipotent power, was suddenly dismissed. Instead, he appointed many of his old school friends who studied with him when he was crown prince to key positions in state affairs. This unconventional reform move aroused strong opposition from Islamic conservatives and fundamentalists.

Bill Clinton with his sister Princess Lala Meryem in June 2000. The relationship between the two countries rapidly grew closer following a state visit to the United States at the invitation of the U.S. President . In 2004, the George W. Bush administration designated Morocco as a 'non-NATO major ally (MNNA),' and in 2006, a free trade agreement (FTA) was officially signed between the two countries. This was the only FTA the United States signed with an African country. However, as Morocco's trade deficit has snowballed since the agreement, there has been constant criticism domestically about the agreement.[1]

In February 2004, King Mohammed VI enacted Mudawana, a new family law that significantly strengthened women's rights and interests by abolishing the obligation to obey one's husband, raising the minimum age of marriage (from 15 to 18), prohibiting unilateral divorce, and blocking polygamy .[2] In July of the same year, it was announced that visa restrictions for Algerian citizens would be lifted to improve relations with Algeria , which had been an old enemy, and the following year, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika responded by exempting visas in the same way.

In addition, the Impartial and Reconciliation Commission (IER) was established to investigate human rights violations committed during the reign of Viceroy Hassan II, or the ‘Age of Lead’. Many people welcomed it as progress toward democratization in Morocco, but the final report did not specify the real names of the perpetrators and even punished those responsible, making it a 'half-indulgence'.[3] It also received strong criticism. In addition, Mohammed VI himself is evaluated as a formidable despot because he is relentlessly suppressing criticism of the king and sovereignty over Western Sahara .

The Moroccan government launched the Advisory Committee on Western Sahara (CORCAS) in March 2006. This advisory body, whose members are directly appointed by the king, was responsible for solidifying externally that Western Sahara was Morocco's territory. The committee proposed an arbitration plan that would recognize Western Sahara's autonomy but place it under Morocco's sovereignty. King Mohammed VI personally visited the Western Sahara region in 2006 and 2015 to demonstrate his firm commitment to Western Sahara sovereignty.

As the Arab Spring broke out in 2011 , Morocco was also covered by fierce protests led by the 'February 20 Movement'. The protesters' main anger was at chronic corruption, political incompetence, and the extreme hardship caused by the global financial crisis. At that time, revolutions broke out in Tunisia and Egypt , and the Moroccan people, who saw dictators such as Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak being ousted one after another, were greatly inspired and protested. The protesters called for radical political and social reform along with strong demands that the king's enormous power be drastically reduced.

Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, King Mohammed VI announced major concessions in a speech to the nation on March 9, 2011. He promised to give Congress 'new powers to properly exercise representative, legislative and regulatory powers.' In addition, he announced that he would strengthen the independence of the judiciary, and declared that he would form a committee composed of legal scholars to draft a new constitution by June of that year. And on July 1, the constitutional amendment proposed by the King was finally passed through a national referendum. The main points of the newly changed constitution were as follows.

Despite the splendid constitutional amendments, King Mohammed VI never gave up the core powers that depended on the life of the regime. According to the constitution, the king still has complete control over the military (commander of the military) and the judiciary, and also exercises full authority over Islamic religious issues and foreign policy. He even retained full authority to appoint or dismiss the prime minister whenever he wanted. In addition, although freedom of expression has been expanded, criticizing the king or directly confronting him is still punishable as a serious crime that carries immediate imprisonment.

According to Forbes , his assets are estimated at $2.1 billion (approximately 2.8 trillion won), ranking 7th among the world's royal families. According to WikiLeaks , there is a significant corruption problem involving the royal family. Even if there is dissatisfaction with the king, the moment it is expressed, it goes to waste, so it is difficult to hear voices criticizing the king, except for Moroccans living abroad. Nevertheless, domestic and foreign policies have been relatively wise.

Since the 2010s, the focus of foreign policy has boldly shifted to the African continent. Rwanda in July 2016 He sent a personal letter to the 27th African Union (AU) Summit held in Kigali and applied for formal readmission. In the past, Morocco was a member of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the African Union, but withdrew in protest when the Sahara Arab Democratic Republic of Western Sahara, a disputed region, became a full member in 1984 . King Mohammed VI justified his withdrawal at the time, saying, "I had no choice but to leave in order to prevent the division of Africa as a group without sovereignty was allowed to join through collusion and expediency." Ultimately, Morocco successfully returned to the African Union in January 2017, 33 years after withdrawal.

At the same time, diplomatic diversification was undertaken to reduce the country's excessive dependence on trade and investment from the European Union and Western countries. While strengthening partnerships with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries , it also joined hands with powers that were not traditional allies, such as China and Russia . On the international stage, he claimed to be a mediator in the Libyan civil war, and during the 2017 diplomatic severance with Qatar, he did not take a side but maintained complete neutrality, taking diplomatic advantage.

On December 10, 2020, diplomatic relations with Israel were dramatically normalized. This was the result of a big deal led by Donald Trump behind the scenes, in which the United States joined hands with Israel with the support of Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud in return for official recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara . King Mohammed VI also offered congratulations to Naftali Bennett when he was elected as Israel's new prime minister in June 2021 . Of course, as an Arab country, it had to pay attention to Palestine , but on the International Day of Solidarity for Palestine in November 2021, the king withdrew, saying, "Morocco will continue to press for the resumption of the suspended peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine." At the same time, he gave both sides a ambivalent admonition, telling them to “refrain from actions that disrupt the peace process.”[4]

Meanwhile, relations with Algeria, the bitter neighbor, reached their worst again. In particular, in the 2020s, tensions between the two countries were on the verge of explosion as Morocco established diplomatic relations with Israel and armed conflict flared up again along the border of Western Sahara. Ultimately, in August 2021, the Algerian government pointed the finger at domestic separatist forces (the Kabylie Self-Determination Movement) as the cause of the large-scale forest fire that broke out in the northern region, and fiercely criticized Morocco for supporting them. And soon after, Algeria completely severed diplomatic relations with Morocco.

Internally, appeasement of Berbers (Amajin), women's rights, and vigilance against Islamic extremism have historically been the core of internal conflict . Externally, it seems to aim to reduce dependence on France through foreign policies such as reconciliation with Spain, a traditional enemy, and proposals for reconciliation with Algeria. It is popular among Moroccans, and the royal family has contributed greatly to the development of Morocco, and as mentioned above, there is a corruption problem in the royal family, but it is said that without a king, politicians will band together and eat together.

Myongji University's Middle East Studies Institute delivered a personal letter to Myongji University to express its gratitude for translating and producing the 'Constitution of the Kingdom of Morocco'. The delivery ceremony was held on April 19, 2018 at the Moroccan Embassy in Korea. #

He married his wife, Princess Salma, in 2001 . Princess Salma, from Fes , was born in 1977, 15 years younger than the King, and is an elite female who graduated from a French middle and high school in Rabat , earned an engineering degree in France , and worked as an engineer. Princess Salma broke the custom of previous queens who lived strictly at the palace and became active abroad as Morocco 's first lady and social activist, causing a great stir in conservative Moroccan society. The King and Queen have one son and one daughter, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan and Princess Hadiza . As a side note, during her reign, Princess Salma received great attention both at home and abroad for her gorgeous appearance and excellent fashion sense.

However, when Princess Salma did not appear in public for a long time after December 2017, there was speculation in the media that the couple had divorced. # Finally, in March 2018 , four months after the suspicion of divorce was raised, the divorce was confirmed through an unofficial source from the royal family. It is said that Muhammad VI's health deteriorated quite rapidly due to what happened before and after the divorce. For reference, the photo above is from when he was young around the time he ascended the throne, and the photo below is from when he was healthy. Currently, rapid aging has progressed, she has lost weight, and her illness has completely disappeared, so you can see that her voice trembles violently when she reads a speech. However, there are no reports of these abnormal signs in Morocco. According to Western media, nothing is known about Princess Salma's current whereabouts, and she has only been seen vacationing in the United States and Greece with her son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan and daughter Princess Hadiza. King Muhammad VI also did not remarry.[5] I live single.

It is said that he underwent heart surgery in Paris, France in 2020. #

There was controversy after it was revealed that he was staying in France when the Marrakech Safi, Morocco earthquake occurred in 2023 . However, he quickly grasped the mood and took steps to comfort the victim, so the incident passed without any major controversy. #

In 2026, upon receiving a request from U.S. President Trump, he expressed his intention to join the Peace Committee . They say it is because of the Western Sahara issue. #

In Morocco, the royal family openly interferes with corporate management, but openly discussing this is a taboo in itself. In the past, a confidential cable sent from the U.S. Embassy in Morocco to Washington was leaked, and it contained the content that "corruption at all levels is rampant throughout Moroccan society."

In particular, according to documents exposed by WikiLeaks in December 2010 and reported by the British daily Guardian , corruption in Morocco has already spread all the way to the highest levels of the country. There were suspicions that the personal business interests of King Mohammed VI and his close associates were exerting great influence over all large housing construction projects in Morocco.

In fact, in the leaked document, an American businessman working for an American consortium revealed that he declined an offer to partner with a company linked to the Moroccan royal family, and then suffered retaliation that completely paralyzed his large-scale business plan for several months. A senior executive from a royal company cited in the document revealed at a meeting that "all large-scale investment decisions within the Kingdom of Morocco are made by only three people: the King himself, his personal secretary Munir Majidi, and the King's old school friend and close associate Fouad Ali El Himma." This case clearly shows that although corruption is at a serious level throughout Morocco, it is especially concentrated in the housing and real estate development sectors.

In April 2016, the king's personal secretary, Munir Majidi, was included in the Panama Papers list that exposed the offshore tax evasion channels of high-ranking people around the world, causing suspicions about the Moroccan royal family's dark money laundering to become an international scandal.