Credits: Christian Lambiotte / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0.
In the summer of 2025, Mohammed VI is 62 years old. Two scenes sum up the moment: in Tetouan (Eid), he appears tired; off the coast of Cabo Negro, he rides a jet ski. The images are reassuring about continuity, but they confirm a slower pace. At the same time, the state is moving ahead with its major projects such as education, health, and energy. In addition, diplomacy remains centered on the Sahara, which is at the heart of the royal line.
2025 News: Contrasting Images, Orderly End Of A Cycle
The year 2025 comes down to a contrast.
On June 7, during Eid al-Adha in Tetouan, the king of Morocco Mohammed VI, seated and pale, causes concern. Two weeks later, he reappears at sea, riding a jet ski in Cabo Negro. The message is clear: continuity at the top, a presence that is certainly more sparingly displayed, but still decisive.
The calendar remains ritualized: Throne Day (July 30), Revolution of the King and the People (August 20), and targeted visits (the northern coast, post-earthquake reconstruction sites, hospitals, schools). The authorities choose few words, many images.
Behind the scenes, an orderly end of a cycle is taking shape. This is not a vacuum of power, but a calibration of pace: rare sequences, tightly controlled visual signals, and agenda-setting speeches that define priorities. The summers in the North play the role of a political stage: walkabouts, brief greetings, reminders of the direct link with the population. This visual grammar reassures and prepares the handover at the same time.
Power Architecture: Royal Arbiter And “Project-Based Governance”
The setup is clear.
- The monarchy sets the course: security, diplomacy, major economic choices, and religion (Commander of the Faithful).
- The techno-security apparatus (intelligence, walis, governors) ensures stability and implementation.
- Agencies and operators (ports, rail, energy, industrial zones) drive project-based governance.
This approach makes it possible to move fast (Tanger Med, Al Boraq high-speed line, solar and wind), but it also fuels debate over transparency, accountability, and the role of Parliament in oversight.
Since advanced regionalization (implemented in the 2010s), the regions have had expanded budgets and powers. In practice, walis and governors coordinate between state services, municipalities, and operators. Audit courts and inspectorates are beginning to evaluate these policies, but feedback remains uneven depending on the territory. Hence a central challenge: measuring the real impact of projects on income, employment, and service quality.
Parties And Government: From The PJD To The Current Majority
After 2011, the PJD led the government under the new Constitution. Since 2021, a RNI–PAM–Istiqlal coalition has been running public policy.
The line is pragmatic: expanded social state, support for investment, acceleration of projects. The parties clash less over ideologies than over the ability to deliver the roadmap. The royal impulse remains the compass.
As for the legislative branch, several structural texts accompany this direction. They include the business climate and a redesigned investment charter. In addition, the digitization of services such as administrative procedures and online payment is encouraged. Finally, there is a gradual generalization of social protection. Parliament debates, but evaluating implementation on the ground still needs to be strengthened: hearings are multiplying without always transforming execution.
Economy And Social Issues: Real Progress, Persistent Fault Lines
Since 1999, the economy has grown by an average of 4–5%. Ports (Tanger Med), the automotive sector, aerospace, and services are driving growth, while agriculture remains dependent on rain. HDI rises from about 0.515 (1999) to 0.710 (2023), the threshold for countries with high human development.
The state is rolling out a legible social state: expanded social protection, “pioneer” schools, new hospitals and university hospitals. On water and climate: desalination, reuse, and dam interconnections. In energy, consolidation of solar and wind, and exploration of hydrogen.
But three fault lines persist: young people with more education than jobs, interior regions lagging behind, and the quality of public services. The key is becoming local execution and measuring results.
On the productive side, three engines stand out:
- the automotive sector (ecosystems around Tangier and Kenitra),
- aerospace (Casablanca-Nouaceur),
- logistics (port and inland zones).
Tourism has regained momentum after the Covid years. Agriculture is being transformed through precision irrigation, especially drip irrigation. In addition, export sectors such as citrus, red fruits, and olives are developing. However, it is hitting the wall of drought.
On inclusion, the rise of mobile payments and microcredit is opening doors for very small businesses and female employment. After the 2023 earthquake, a multi-year program targets reconstruction and prevention (schools, clinics, housing), with an emphasis on seismic resilience.
What remains essential is the quality of schools and care that is accessible everywhere. Without supported teachers and doctors present in the backcountry, the promise of equality remains incomplete.
Public Freedoms: Tensions And Gestures Of Reassurance
The framework for freedoms oscillates.
Trials of journalists and activists fuel criticism and self-censorship. In parallel, the Palace signed two notable pardons in 2024: releases of journalists and activists, then more than 4,800 farmers from the Rif (therapeutic cannabis). NGOs are calling for a lasting normalization of the media landscape and a criminal-law reform clarifying opinion offenses.
The digital world has changed the game: online press, social networks, and citizen videos are shaping the public sphere. The authorities tolerate zones of debate but sanction when they believe security or defamation is at stake. Hence the recurring demand for a criminal-law reform that better protects expression and more clearly defines the red lines.
Diplomacy: Multi-Vector, Centered On The Sahara
Western Sahara is the compass. Rabat is proposing autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. The U.S. recognition (2020) and normalization with Israel fit into that logic.
In Africa, Morocco rejoined the African Union (2017) and is expanding its companies (banks, telecoms, fertilizers). With France, after some friction, agendas are realigning. With Algeria, the border remains closed, and the signals remain symbolic (the “outstretched hand” speech), with no breakthrough.
Moroccan diplomacy combines three levers:
- Economic (industrial zones, energy interconnections, African value chains),
- religious (the reach of a middle-of-the-road Islam, training imams),
- migration (cooperation with the EU and African countries).
The goal: stabilize the neighborhood, secure supplies, and anchor Morocco’s position in West Africa.
Mohammed VI’s Health: Sparse Communication, Continuity Of Arbitration
Since 2018, Mohammed VI’s health has fueled rumors and commentary: heart procedures, sarcoidosis, weight loss in 2021, a cane during some audiences. The 2025 sequences mix fatigue and vigor, while the king of Morocco’s health feeds rumors and denials. Communication remains minimal, but the royal arbitration continues to set the pace of public action through closely watched speeches and decisions.
The management of royal time is adapting: more written rulings, highly visible short sequences, and a greater presence of the crown prince at certain ceremonies. The aim is to preserve the symbolism while ensuring continuity.
The King And The Moroccan Royal Family: Patient Capital, Demand For Clarity
The holdings Siger and Al Mada feed banking, retail, industry, energy, and telecoms. Wealth estimates circulate (several billion euros), and the royal household budget regularly fuels debate. Supporters speak of patient capital useful for investment; others call for more disclosure and parliamentary oversight.
The royal lifestyle (palaces, residences, yachts) keeps making headlines, especially in summer. The king, an admirer of art and the sea, splits his stays between Rabat, imperial cities, and the North.
Beyond the business side, the royal foundations play a crucial role. In particular, the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity carries out varied social actions. These actions include support for vulnerable populations, the organization of medical campaigns, and training. They fit within the initiatives of the Moroccan royal family. They strengthen the monarchy’s social roots, while also reviving the question of coordination with ministries.
Succession And Stability: Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan In Training
Prince of Morocco Moulay El Hassan (born May 8, 2003), the heir, has been of age since 2021. Very present in ceremonies and missions, he embodies continuity. The Constitution provides for a regency if needed. The central assumption remains that of an orderly transition.
His training is practical: handling protocol, public speaking, economic and climate files. Educated at the Royal College, he operates in a multilingual and diplomatic environment. The intended message is clear: continuity without rupture, modernity without any taboo around inheritance.
A Ruling’s Balance Sheet (1999-2025)
Achievements:
- Memory reconciliation (IER) and the Moudawana (2004) expanding women’s rights.
- Major infrastructure (Tanger Med, high-speed rail, highways) and a sharp rise in renewables.
- Return to the African Union and a South-South strategy.
- HDI on the rise, social protection expanding, high execution capacity.
Points Of Vigilance:
- Public freedoms and media pluralism: need for lasting guarantees.
- Territorial inequalities and youth employment: need for an educational and productive shock.
- Economic governance: clarify the public/private boundary, strengthen evaluation.
- Neighborhood and the Sahara: a tense environment dependent on external balances.
What Is At Stake Now
Three priorities stand out:
- Consolidate institutions and open up the public sphere further.
- Distribute the fruits of growth more fairly through truly universal education and health care.
- Clarify the rules of political economy: the monarchy’s role in business, oversight of agencies, budget transparency.
In the background, three tests will determine what comes next:
- the measurable reduction of territorial inequalities (access to care, school results),
- the creation of skilled jobs outside the major hubs,
- citizen confidence, fueled by public speech and the predictability of rules.
That is the standard by which the end and then the handover of a reign that has profoundly reconfigured the state will be written.