· Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed businessman Aziz Akhannouch to lead the new government after his liberal RNI party defeated the long-ruling Islamists in parliamentary elections.
· The billionaire businessman Akhannouch who has led the RNI since 2016 is worth $2bn according to Forbes magazine.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed businessman Aziz Akhannouch to lead the new government after his liberal RNI party defeated the long-ruling Islamists in parliamentary elections. The billionaire businessman Akhannouch who has led the RNI since 2016 is worth $2bn according to Forbes magazine.
RNI has started talks with other political parties to form the new government. The party won 102 seats, while PAM took 86 and PI 81 respectively. Akhannouch needs a minimum of 198 to form a coalition government. Political observers are of the view that a coalition between the three parties could help Akhannouch have a comfortable majority.
Except for a brief period between 2012 and 2013, RNI has been part of all coalition governments for the past 23 years. After his victory, Akhannouch announced that he is committed to improve the lives of the citizens of Morocco and bridge the social inequalities that have been deepened by the pandemic. Due to the recent election reforms, Morocco’s 18 million voters could cast votes in both parliamentary and local elections on the same day for the first time.
According to the data given by the Moroccan statistics institute, the Moroccan economy shrank by 7.1 % in 2020 with the poverty rate rising by 11.7 % due to the pandemic. Analysts say that despite the change in leadership, policy shifts are unlikely as major decisions in Morocco, are taken by King Mohammed VI. Morocco is the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty.
