Mohammed VI of Morocco

Mohammed VI (born 21 August 1963) ascended the throne on 23 July 1999 following the death of his father, King Hassan II. Under Morocco's constitution he serves as head of state, supreme commander of the Royal Armed Forces, and Amir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful), giving him both political and religious authority over the Sunni Maliki kingdom.

His early reign was marked by a reformist tone. He established the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) in 2004 to investigate human rights abuses committed during the "Years of Lead" under Hassan II, and championed a reformed Moudawana (family code) in 2004 that expanded women's rights in marriage, divorce, and custody.

In response to the 2011 Arab Spring protests led by the 20 February Movement, Mohammed VI offered a new constitution, approved by referendum on 1 July 2011, which transferred some executive powers to an elected prime minister drawn from the largest parliamentary party, while retaining royal control over security, religion, and strategic policy.

In foreign affairs, his reign has centered on the Western Sahara question, where Morocco asserts sovereignty against the Polisario Front. He oversaw Morocco's 2017 readmission to the African Union (which it had left in 1984 over Western Sahara) and the December 2020 normalization agreement with Israel under the Abraham Accords, in exchange for U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Domestically, his rule has been criticized for the concentration of economic power around the palace and the Makhzen, restrictions on press freedom, and the prosecution of journalists and Hirak Rif protesters after 2016–2017 unrest in the northern Rif region. He has spent extended periods abroad, particularly in France, fueling debate over royal visibility and governance.