Morrocco’s King Mohammed VI Addresses Healthcare Concerns Following Gen Z Protests

On Oct. 10, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI addressed parliament following protests over housing, education and healthcare led by a group known as GenZ 212. In his speech, the King stressed the importance of combatting inequality through parliament. The King did not directly mention the movement led by the group, or the violent protests that resulted in law enforcement using lethal force.

Although the King stated that it is the responsibility of parliament to remedy the situation, he himself holds the vast majority of political power in the country. Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that power is vested in the monarch. Under Morocco’s constitution, the King has the power to dissolve parliament, appoint the Prime Minister from the majority party in parliament, control the military and appoint half of the Supreme Court. The constitution establishes the King as the head authority.

Specifically, the King has absolute power in appointing the cabinet of ministers, which, according to the International Institute for Democracy and International Assistance (IIDIA), oversees direction of state policies, constitutional revisions, and guidelines for project finance law. The King can also oppose any parliamentary law that diminishes public resources or aggravates expenditures. The IIDIA also notes that parliament remains inaccessible to civil society organizations, which have consistently asked for increased participation in the legislative process and government oversight.

Given that most of the power is vested in the monarch, the King could make amendments to further enhance the power of the legislature, as was done in 2011 after the Arab Spring protests. Mechanisms could also be created to allow civil society organizations to have more access to the government. More attention could also be directed towards public services over the private market. In the short term, any protests that citizens engage in for more transparency and resources should remain peaceful. Citizens should also call for more democratic reforms.

In spite of the King stating that government officials should discharge their duty, he himself has many means by which he could serve his people in limiting corruption– with power lies responsibility.

Aside from political and logistical problems, Morocco’s financial investment in co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup could also pose economic problems. Although the games are expected to create jobs and increase Morocco’s soft power, extensive research suggests that hosting the World Cup is a costly endeavor offering little return on long-term investment.

Economists Stephen Billings and Scott Holladay have found no long-term impact on the Olympic Games affecting a host country’s GDP. Researcher Jorge Viana has also found that hosting the World Cup had either no effect or a negative effect on income per capita. With $14 billion being spent on stadium upgrades alone, the games are expected to come with a hefty price tag.

Even as the government has pledged to allocate $15 billion towards education and healthcare– fields that are either underfunded from privatization or understaffed– the potential losses from hosting the World Cup could place a strain on public funding for said fields. Morocco has taken a loan of $1 billion form the African Development Bank, with interest rates potentially leading to higher taxes or lowered funding for programs.

While the “bread and circuses” of hosting the World Cup could provide prestige and presence for Morocco on the global stage, it will not help in improving prospects that help the lives of everyday Moroccans. Nor will they help to promote the human rights the constitution claims to espouse. Hopefully, efforts to improve government transparency will help resolve short term and long term conflicts over inequality.

Sources:

*The 2011 Moroccan Constitution-English.indd