MOROCCO - HM the King Chairs Opening of 1st Session of 3rd Legislative Year of 11th Legislature

Upon His arrival at the Parliament headquarters, HM the King greeted the national colors to the tune of the national anthem, before reviewing a detachment of the Royal Guard that made the honors.

The Sovereign was then greeted by Rachid Talbi Alami, speaker of the House of Representatives, Enaam Mayara, speaker of the House of Advisors, Mohammed Yacoubi, Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, governor of the Rabat prefecture, and the secretaries general of both Houses of Parliament.

Before reaching the official gallery, His Majesty the King greeted with His hands, from the balcony of the Parliament building, the enthusiastic crowd of citizens who come to express their loyalty to the Sovereign's August person and their unfailing attachment to the Glorious Alaouite Throne.

After reading verses from the Holy Quran, HM the King delivered a speech before the members of both Houses of Parliament, in the presence of president of the World Bank (WB), Ajay Banga, and managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, who are taking part in the WB-IMF Annual Meetings, held from October 09 to 15 in Marrakech.

In his speech, the Sovereign affirmed that "we intend to rehabilitate and rebuild the devastated areas" following the "tragic earthquake that struck our country, leaving behind thousands of martyrs and injuring a great many people - may they recover quickly, with God's help".

In this regard, the Sovereign stressed the need to provide “assistance to the stricken families, to speed up rehabilitation and reconstruction in the affected areas, and to make sure basic services are available.”

“Beyond the horrific nature of the tragedy, what alleviates our suffering and, indeed, makes us proud, is the reaction of civil society and of all Moroccans - in the homeland and abroad - who have shown heartfelt, spontaneous solidarity with their afflicted brothers and sisters,” added HM the king.

The Sovereign also stressed that “this tragedy has shown that authentic Moroccan values have prevailed. They have enabled our country to overcome adversity and crises, again making us not only stronger, but also more determined to forge ahead, with unwavering confidence and optimism”.

“That is the spirit and those are the lofty values ingrained in our DNA. We see them as the cornerstone of our unity and of the cohesion of Moroccan society,” pointed out HM the king.

“I have been working to enhance our identity through major projects. Among these is the large-scale social protection project, which I consider a pillar of our social and development model,” said the Sovereign.

At the end of the year, His Majesty the King indicated that the direct social assistance program would be put into operation, raising the standard of living of target families, combating poverty and vulnerability, and ultimately improving social and human development indicators.

The Sovereign emphasized that he had “instructed the government to adopt a comprehensive approach for the implementation of this program, in keeping with the principles of the framework law on social protection adopted by Parliament”.

“It should also be a model of successful implementation, based on the system for targeting beneficiaries under the unified social registry, making sure modern technology is properly leveraged,” insisted HM the king.

The Sovereign also stressed “the need to uphold the principles of solidarity, transparency and equity, and to provide assistance to those who deserve it,” calling on the government to give priority to the rationalization of current social benefit schemes and ensure their effectiveness as well as the sustainability of their financing.

“I also insist on the need to uphold the principles of good governance for the implementation of this project in its entirety; a special monitoring and evaluation mechanism needs to be set up for the project’s continuous development and evaluation,” added HM the king.

On this occasion, HM King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, received president of the World Bank, Ajay Banga, and managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva.

Subsequently, His Majesty the King, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, received Rachid Talbi Alami, who presented the Sovereign with a report on the work of the House of Representatives for the 2022-2023 legislative year, as well as other House publications.

His Majesty the King, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, also received Enaam Mayara, who presented the Sovereign with several publications on the work of the House of Advisors for the 2022-2023 legislative year.

Accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, the Sovereign then received Mustapha Baitas, minister delegate for Relations with Parliament and government spokesman, who presented His Majesty the King with a report on the government's relations with Parliament during the second legislative year of the 11th Parliament.

His Majesty the King then presided over a reception held in honor of the members of the Houses of Representatives and Advisors to mark the opening of the first session of the third legislative year of the 11th Parliament.