« The monarch’s poor health no longer allows him to continue the current affairs of his kingdom. “. This sentence from El Confidencial summarizes a long article that the Spanish newspaper devoted to the health of the King of Morocco Mohammed VI.
The sovereign, very weakened, had to further reduce his already rare activity and the kingdom therefore found itself under the regency of Fouad Ali El Himma, advisor to the king, and Abdellatif Hammouchi, head of the police and the DST (directorate of surveillance of the territory).
The Iberian newspaper recalls that Mohammed VI has suffered for years from Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease that can cause hypothyroidism, and another more serious illness, chronic pulmonary obstruction, which causes respiratory problems. Although the king no longer smokes, the latter condition worsened last year, according to sources familiar with his health records.
Mohammed VI was operated on twice, in Paris in 2018 and in Rabat in 2020, for a cardiac arrhythmia. The royal family had communicated on these two interventions “ successfully completed ”, but she says nothing about her current state of health.
In his article in El Confidencial, journalist Ignacio Cembrero lists a long list of public signs that reinforce doubts about the king’s health and his ability to govern.
On July 14, Moroccan television had to retouch the images of the reception of Olympic champion Soufiane el-Bakkali to try to show the king in his best light. On the 29th of the same month, during his Throne Day speech, Mohammed VI had difficulty standing during the playing of the national anthem.
The beiaa, the annual oath of loyalty of notables to the sovereign, took place outdoors in Tetouan on July 31, but was reduced to only 17 minutes while the ceremony usually lasted several hours.
Last Friday, for the inauguration of the Parliament session, Mohammed VI read a very short speech, barely nine minutes long, but which was very painful for him.
« He read a text in a monotonous tone and with a trembling voice, without looking up. He was breathing with some difficulty “, reports El Confidencial, adding that at the end of the speech, the son, Prince Moulay Hassan, removes the chair in which his father was sitting so that he can get up without tripping.
Morocco: minimal activity for Mohammed VI, very weakened
Usually fond of trips abroad, Mohammed VI now cuts them short or cancels them altogether.
This summer, he abandoned a plan to travel to New York and his vacation in M’diq was interrupted by a few plane trips to seek treatment at the Mohammed V military hospital in Rabat.
Between September 18 and October 8, Mohammed VI was in Paris, always accompanied by the Azaitar brothers, the German-Moroccan pugilists who have not left him since 2018.
Contrary to his habits, he remained cloistered in his mansion next to the Eiffel Tower which he bought four years ago for 80 million euros.
Above all, he declined the invitation from President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Francophonie summit at the beginning of October despite the reconciliation between the two men established by the recognition by the French president of the “ Moroccanness » from Western Sahara at the end of July.
Emmanuel Macron is expected in Rabat at the end of October, but, El Confidencial’s sources assure, his visit will be the shortest of all those he has made abroad.
« The health of the sovereign advises that the visit be brief “, we indicate. Since the start of this year 2024, Mohammed VI has received only one foreign personality, the President of the Spanish government Pedro Sánchez, last February. And again, the hearing lasted less than an hour.
The king’s poor health made his main advisor, Fouad Ali El Himma, the “ authentic viceroy of Morocco », writes the Spanish newspaper. El Himma, 61, is also ill, but he was successfully treated in the United States. Today, its role is even more important. Management of the security aspect is devolved to the boss of the police and the DST, Abdellatif Hammouchi.
The deterioration of the king’s health coincides with that of the socio-economic conditions of his kingdom. Last September, thousands of young Moroccans attempted a great collective escape to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, while discontent mounts against the high cost of living and normalization with Israel.
A sign of exasperation against the monarchy, a 25-year-old young man threw a Molotov cocktail at the royal procession heading towards the seat of Parliament last Friday. This action did not cause any damage and its perpetrator was immediately arrested.
