His Majesty the King delivers a speech on the occasion of the opening of the first session of the first legislative year of the eleventh legislature.

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, accompanied by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, delivered a speech on Friday to the members of Parliament on the occasion of the opening of the first session of the first legislative year of the eleventh legislature.

The following is the text of the Royal Speech, which was broadcast inside Parliament:

“Praise be to God, and may peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His family and His companions.

Honorable Members of Parliament,

It gives Me great pleasure to preside over the opening of the first parliamentary session of this new legislative term.

I would like to take this constitutional occasion to congratulate the members of Parliament and, through you, all elected representatives, on the trust placed in you. I pray to Almighty God to grant you, as well as the new government, every success in carrying out your responsibilities.

I also wish to commend the good organization and positive atmosphere in which the latest elections were held, as well as the high level of participation recorded, particularly in Our Southern Provinces.

These elections reaffirmed the success of Morocco’s democratic choice and the natural alternation in the management of public affairs. What matters most is not the victory of one party or another, for all political parties are equal in Our eyes.

The beginning of this legislative term comes at a time when Morocco is entering a new phase that requires combined efforts around strategic priorities in order to continue the country’s development process and address external challenges.

In this regard, I wish to emphasize three main dimensions.

The first concerns strengthening Morocco’s position and defending its higher interests, particularly in a context marked by numerous challenges, risks and threats.

The health crisis has brought sovereignty issues back to the forefront and has highlighted the growing need to safeguard sovereignty in its various dimensions, including health, energy, industry and food security, amid increasing protectionist tendencies in some parts of the world.

While Morocco has been able to meet its needs and ensure that markets are supplied normally and in sufficient quantities with essential goods, many countries experienced serious disruptions in the availability and distribution of such products.

Therefore, I stress the need to establish an integrated national system of strategic reserves for essential goods, particularly food, health and energy products, and to continuously update national needs in order to strengthen the country’s strategic security.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The second dimension concerns the management of the health crisis and the continued recovery of the economy.

Thanks be to God, we have achieved significant progress in protecting the health of citizens and providing support to sectors and groups affected by the crisis.

The State has fulfilled its responsibility by providing vaccines free of charge, at a cost of billions, as well as all the necessary resources to ease the difficulties faced by citizens during this challenging period.

However, the State cannot assume the responsibility of citizens themselves when it comes to protecting their own health and that of their families through vaccination, the use of preventive measures and compliance with the measures adopted by public authorities.

At the same time, the national economy is experiencing a tangible recovery despite the unprecedented impact of the crisis and the broader downturn in the global economy.

Thanks to the measures We have launched, Morocco is expected, God willing, to achieve economic growth exceeding 5.5% in 2021. This is a rate that has not been achieved for several years and is among the highest at both the regional and continental levels.

The agricultural sector is also expected to record outstanding growth of more than 17% this year, thanks to efforts to modernize the sector and the strong performance of the agricultural season.

Exports have also increased significantly in several sectors, including the automotive industry, textiles, and the electronics and electrical industries.

Despite the repercussions of the crisis, confidence in Our country and in the dynamism of its economy remains strong, as demonstrated by an increase of approximately 16% in foreign direct investment and a rise of around 46% in remittances from Moroccans living abroad up to last August.

These developments have enabled Morocco to maintain comfortable foreign currency reserves equivalent to seven months of imports.

Despite the difficulties and fluctuations affecting global markets, inflation has been kept at around 1%, far below the high levels recorded in several economies in the region.

Thanks be to God, all these indicators provide grounds for optimism and hope, helping to strengthen confidence among citizens and families and to foster a spirit of initiative among economic operators and investors.

For its part, the State will continue this national effort, particularly through public investment and support and incentives for businesses.

Within this positive context, we must remain realistic and continue working with responsibility and a strong sense of patriotism, away from pessimism and certain negative narratives.

The third dimension concerns the effective implementation of the New Development Model and the launch of an integrated range of next-generation projects and reforms.

We hope that this legislative term will mark the starting point of this determined and ambitious process, which reflects the collective intelligence of Moroccans.

It should be recalled that the New Development Model is not a development plan in the traditional, rigid sense of the term. Rather, it is a broad and open framework for action that establishes new guidelines and opens up wide-ranging opportunities for everyone.

The “National Pact for Development” represents an important mechanism for implementing this model, as it constitutes a national commitment before Us and before the Moroccan people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The New Development Model opens up broad prospects for the work of both the government and Parliament in all their components.

The new government is responsible for defining priorities and projects during its term and mobilizing the necessary resources to finance them within the framework of implementing this model.

It is also required to complete the major projects that have already been launched, foremost among them the universalization of social protection, which enjoys Our particular attention.

In this context, the main challenge remains the genuine upgrading of the healthcare system in accordance with the highest standards and through complementarity between the public and private sectors.

The same approach should apply to the reform of public institutions and enterprises and to tax reform, which should be complemented as quickly as possible by a new and more attractive Investment Charter.

At the same time, greater coherence, integration and consistency must be ensured among public policies, alongside effective monitoring of their implementation.

To this end, I call for an in-depth reform of the High Commission for Planning so that it may become a tool for supporting the strategic coordination of development policies and monitoring the implementation of the New Development Model, based on precise standards and modern monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Honorable Members of Parliament,

The beginning of this legislative term comes at a promising stage in the progress of Our country.

You, as government and Parliament, majority and opposition, are responsible, together with all national institutions and forces, for ensuring the success of this new phase through initiative and responsible commitment.

May God assist you in rising to this significant national responsibility, for representing citizens and managing public affairs at the local, regional and national levels is a responsibility entrusted to all of us.

Almighty God says: “And whoever does righteous deeds while being a believer shall fear neither injustice nor deprivation.”

The word of God is true.

May the peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.”