Moroccan King Mohammed VI recently announced the restructuring of the framework of institutions concerned with the Moroccan community residing abroad, amid anticipation about the extent to which this step will be able to protect the interests of this group, whose annual remittances now exceed $10 billion.
The King said, in a speech he delivered on November 6, the 49th anniversary of the Green March, “We have decided to bring about a new transformation in the field of managing the affairs of the Moroccan community abroad. This is through restructuring the institutions concerned with it, to ensure that there is no overlapping of competencies and the dispersal of actors, and to respond to its new needs.” .
He continued, “We directed the government to work on structuring this institutional framework, on the basis of two main bodies. The first is the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (…) and in this regard, we call for accelerating the issuance of the new law for the Council, with the prospect of its inauguration as soon as possible. As for the second, it is to create A special body called the Mohammedia Foundation for Moroccans Residing Abroad, which will constitute the executive arm for public policy in this field.
The Moroccan King indicated that the new institution will undertake the task of consolidating the powers currently dispersed among a number of institutions and government actors, in addition to accompanying the community and facilitating procedures for them to invest in Morocco, as it does not exceed 10 percent of the total private national investments.
King Mohammed VI had previously praised, in a speech he delivered in 2022, the Moroccan community residing abroad and called at the time for empowering them with their rights by rehabilitating the institutional framework for “this dear group of citizens.”
He said in that speech, “Morocco, thank God, has a community estimated at about five million, in addition to hundreds of thousands of Moroccan Jews abroad, all over the world.” He continued, “We must constantly ask ourselves: What have we provided for them to strengthen this connection to the homeland? And is the legislative framework, Do public policies take into account their privacy? Are the administrative procedures appropriate to their circumstances? Have we provided them with the necessary religious and educational supervision?
He added, “It is true that the state is making great efforts to ensure the good reception of Moroccans around the world. But that is not enough. Because many of them, unfortunately, are still facing many obstacles and difficulties to carry out their administrative purposes or launch their projects. This must be addressed.”
Various institutions
The affairs of the “Moroccans of the world,” as they are called in Morocco, are managed by the “Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad,” which is an independent constitutional advisory institution established in 2007 with the aim of “ensuring monitoring and evaluation of the Kingdom’s public policies towards its immigrant citizens and improving them with the aim of guaranteeing their rights and intensifying their participation in political, economic and cultural development.” And the country’s social affairs,” according to what was stated on its website.
Before this institution, Morocco established the “Hassan II Foundation for Moroccans Residing Abroad” in 1990, which is also a consultative institution headed by the King’s sister, Princess Maryam. One of its goals is to ensure the continuation of relations linking “Moroccans of the world” with their motherland, and it also aims to help them “overcome the difficulties that arise.” “You object to them because of their alienation.”
On the operational side, the Mohammed V Solidarity Foundation has been supervising Operation “Marhaba” since 2001, which was launched by the authorities to receive Moroccans residing abroad who wish to spend the summer vacation in their homeland.
The total number of Moroccan returnees who visited Morocco last summer reached 3,761,589 Moroccans, an “unprecedented” increase of 18.84% compared to 2023, according to data published by the Foundation.
Official data and numbers
The total number of Moroccan immigrants registered with the Kingdom’s network of consulates around the world reached 5.1 million people as of April 2021, representing about 15 percent of the country’s total population, according to a report by the Moroccan Economic, Social and Environmental Council (an official institution).
The Council noted in the report issued in 2023 that this number could reach 6 and a half million, if the number of immigrants who are not registered with consular services is taken into account.
European countries attract about 89 percent of the total Moroccan immigrants residing abroad, although this community settles in more than 100 countries around the world.
France alone includes more than a million Moroccan immigrants, followed by Spain with about a million people, then Italy with about 500,000 Moroccan immigrants.
On the other hand, a report issued by the High Commission for Planning (an official statistical institution) stated that 78 percent of “the world’s Moroccans” left Morocco during the period between 2000 and 2018, noting that 24 percent of them had taken the step of immigrating since 2015.
In general, the Moroccan community residing abroad is characterized by being a young community, as research by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council estimated that 60 percent of them are between the ages of 15 and 39 years. This community is also characterized by the fact that more than a third of it has a high level of education, according to the institution itself.
“Exclusion” from shaping their country’s policy
The Moroccan Constitution of 2011 stipulates in Chapter 16 that the Kingdom of Morocco works to “protect the legitimate rights and interests of Moroccan citizens residing abroad, within the framework of respect for international law and the laws in force in the receiving countries.”
Chapter 17 states: “Moroccans residing abroad enjoy full citizenship rights, including the right to vote and stand in elections. They can submit their nominations for elections at the levels of electoral lists and constituencies, local, regional and national.”
However, the participation of “Moroccans of the world” in electoral elections in their country has remained suspended to this day, despite the constitutionalization of this right, as the constitution did not stipulate the creation of electoral districts outside Morocco, which hinders the participation of this group in the elections organized in their country.
In response to a written question in the House of Advisors (the second chamber of Parliament), the Moroccan Interior Minister, Abdelouafi Laftit, said last September that Moroccan electoral laws allow the community to participate in the elections “either directly in voting offices in Morocco or through proxy.”
He pointed out that the government has taken measures to enhance the representation of this category, including “obligating political parties to place a female candidate residing abroad at the head of at least one regional nomination list, with the aim of encouraging parties to integrate Moroccan women residing abroad into political life.”
The written answer added, “In parallel, important financial incentives were approved for the benefit of political parties in order to encourage them to include male and female candidates from members of the Moroccan community residing abroad in their local nomination lists submitted by the House of Representatives.”
Billions of dollars
Moroccans around the world are demanding that the way be opened for them to participate in the elections, especially after their annual remittances have come to represent 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product since the spread of the Corona virus pandemic.
The annual report of the Exchange Office, issued last August, stated that these transfers amounted to 56.72 billion dirhams ($5 billion) at the end of last June, compared to 55.69 billion dirhams during the same period in 2023.
The report added that these transfers “recorded a record level in 2023,” explaining that they amounted to 115.3 billion dirhams ($11 billion) compared to 110 billion dirhams ($11.1 billion) in 2022, i.e. an increase of 4.1 percent.
‘Clear message’
Commenting on what was stated in the Moroccan King’s speech, Mustafa Nadif, an immigration activist residing in Italy, said that the unification of institutions concerned with community affairs is a “good initiative,” hoping that the new step will break with the “exclusion and marginalization” that the community suffers from.
In an interview with Al-Hurra website, Nadif explained that the royal speech responded to the aspirations and demands raised by the Moroccan community years ago, stating that the multiplicity of institutions concerned with the affairs of this group hinders the management of their file.
He pointed out that “the Moroccan community has shown its love and support for its country in a number of crises, such as the Corona pandemic and the Al Haouz earthquake crisis. However, we were surprised after the inauguration of the new government that the ministry designated to serve the community was completely dispensed with.”
He continued, “His Majesty the King has a strategic vision and is aware of these problems, so he ordered the restructuring of the community’s institutions, as the speech spoke about a number of difficulties facing us, including obstacles facing those of us who wish to invest in Morocco.”
Commenting on the community’s participation in shaping their country’s policies, he added, “Without representation in Parliament, our voice will be weak, and we are waiting for Chapters 16 and 17 of the Constitution to be removed, and we aspire through this royal gesture to be able to vote from our countries of residence.”
He continued, “The multiplicity of institutions does not serve the community. It was necessary to unify their efforts in one institution to communicate with the community, train its people, and enhance their belonging and love for their motherland. Therefore, His Majesty the King’s speech is a clear message to the government to work to overcome this shortcoming.”
“A glimmer of hope”
In turn, Souad Amjahdi, President of the “From Me to You” Charitable Foundation in Florida (south-eastern United States), welcomed the unification of the efforts of Moroccan institutions directed at serving the community, hoping that the royal decision would contribute to pushing the government to take action.
In a statement to Al-Hurra website, Amjadi considered that the Moroccan community has been suffering from “marginalization” for years, before adding, “I have hope in the efforts led by His Majesty the King because he alone is the defender of our rights.”
She explained, “I recently had a meeting with the former minister in charge of the community in the United States, and I told him how can you ask us to invest in Morocco when we do not have an office in charge of the community in Morocco? I personally spend thousands of dollars in Morocco every year, and yet I see no regard for the community.”
She continued, “It is true that consular and administrative transactions have improved significantly in recent years, but in addition to that, we demand participation in local elections in our countries of residence. We also demand tax facilities.”
The human rights and association activist believes that the new measures are a new “ray of hope” for the community, noting that the Moroccan king “has worked since assuming power to address years of neglect of the community’s affairs and has worked over recent years to overcome it.”
“A real turning point”
Reacting to the same speech, Abdullah Boussouf, Secretary-General of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad, said that unifying the institutions of this group is “an important shift in approaching the community’s problems.”
He explained in his Facebook post, “The new and important shift in the approach to managing the community’s problems will take place through two institutions, the first of which is the Council of the Moroccan Community Residing Abroad and the necessity of accelerating the issuance of the regulatory law according to Article 163 of the Constitution, and the second of which is the creation of the Mohammedia Foundation for Moroccans Residing Abroad “with important specializations.”
He added that the Mohammedia Foundation will give “a strong impetus in the field of linguistic, cultural and religious framing and the simplification and digitization of administrative and judicial procedures that concern Moroccans residing abroad.”
For his part, Idris Al-Yazami, President of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad, said in a statement to a local website that the royal invitation “represents a real turning point” given the transformations that the community has demanded in recent years.
He added, “I think it is important today to realize that the Moroccan community residing abroad is no longer limited to France only, but has become an international community. Therefore, the diversity of this community must be taken into account in terms of communication and information about all investment possibilities in Morocco.”
Source: Al Hurra
