The king of Morocco, ruling to the present, was born on August 21, 1963. Muhammad Six became ruler on August 21, 1999 after the death of his father. He belongs to the royal Alawite dynasty, whose reign began in 1666. Muhammad Sixth is the 18th ruling monarch, the 22nd descendant of this dynasty and the 36th descendant of the prophet Muhammad.
King of Morocco: childhood
When Muhammad VI was 4 years old, he began to study at a special Koranic school located at the Sultan's court. In 1981, he received a bachelor's degree. Then Muhammad VI begins his studies at the Rabbat University, where he studies economics and jurisprudence. Then the king of Morocco continues his studies - but now in Europe. In 1993, he successfully defended his thesis on cooperation between Europe and the Maghreb. In addition to his native Arabic, Muhammad VI is fluent in French, English and Spanish. In 1985, he was first appointed to a high political post - the post of coordinator of the armed forces. In 1994, Mohammed VI was awarded the rank of general.
Many of those who are personally acquainted with the king, note his modest and restrained character. The king of Morocco loves to play golf. However, despite his passion for sports, he is a heavy smoker. The Moroccan people are very fond of their king.
What was the king's predecessor?
Hassan II, ruling before the accession to the throne of King Mohammed, was one of the richest people on Earth. After his death, found 20 accounts in European banks. A huge amount of money was invested in expensive real estate abroad. The late Hassan II owned about twenty palaces. In most of them, Hassan II never visited, although their decoration was maintained in such a state that the king should appear any minute. For example, not far from Paris is the palace of King Hassan II of Morocco, near which a magnificent park is spread over 400 hectares. But he never came there.
The state of the country at the beginning of the reign
When the new king of Morocco ascended the throne, he had to learn to manage an impressive inheritance. The country's population was about 30 million people. More than half of them could not read and write, one fifth were unemployed. But the two hundred thousand army worked well. However, many problems remained from the previous king. Monarch Hassan II did not complete the reform of the country, left a large external debt, and the conflict with the Sahara remained open. Also an acute problem in Morocco was the observance of human rights and freedoms.
Transformations of the new ruler
When the king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, ascended the throne, he carried out many reforms. First of all, this is an amnesty for political prisoners (her king spent, not even waiting for the end of the forty-day period of mourning after the death of Hassan). Forty thousand prisoners were shortened. However, the inhabitants of Morocco expected even more decisive action from the new king. Therefore, his first transformation was the dismissal of the closest assistant to Hassan II, Dris Basri, who served as Minister of the Interior for more than two decades. The Moroccans are sure that this act of King Mohammed II is one of the best in the first time of his reign.
A feature of the reign of Muhammad is that it is he who gives the main orders, in contrast to the reign of Hassan II, when the Prime Minister did it. Under Moroccan law, the king can resign the entire government at any time. However, Muhammad VI does not do this, thereby continuing a unique experiment in which a monarch and a center-left government coexist in the state at the same time.
Lalla Selma - wife of the king
Mohammed II married a girl from a simple family named Lalla Selma. The wedding took place on July 12, 2002. Lalla is the first queen whose face does not hide under the veil. The wife of Muhammad II has a good education - after graduating from the lyceum, she received a bachelor's degree in mathematical sciences. And after graduating from the Higher School of Informatics, Lalla began working as an information systems engineer in one of the largest corporations in the country. In 2003, the royal couple had their first child - a son, who was named Moulay Hassan. In 2007, they had a girl, Lalla Khadija.
Lalla Selma is the first girl from the common people who received the status of queen. This indicates the high confidence of Muhammad II in his wife. Before her, the spouses of Moroccan monarchs were never allowed to leave the country on their own. In June 2006, Lalla participated in the UN Assembly on AIDS.
Visiting Russia
In mid-March 2016, the King of Morocco paid a visit to Moscow. President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin. They were devoted to various political issues, as well as the problem of reducing the supply of fruits and vegetables. Despite the fact that the delegation did not include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Agriculture of Morocco was present, with whom there was a good opportunity to discuss issues of food supplies.