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Many in the royal family may have breathed a sigh of relief when Morocco’s King Mohammed VI returned to his busy schedule of public appearances in the spring.
The monarch’s prolonged absence abroad over the past year and his friendship with a flamboyant martial artist and his two brothers have sparked talk and unnerved senior courtiers who fear the monarchy is in an unsettled state. An image in a country divided by equality, but in this country, the image of the monarch is seen. as a stable basis.
“Since he came back, we’ve seen him on TV almost every day,” said Moroccan political scientist and commentator Omar Brooksi. “He’s been initiating this, initiating that and exercising his authority.”
The king’s presence is important in Morocco: Under its constitution, the monarch exercises near-absolute power and is the ultimate decision maker in economic and political affairs. “It’s not a Scandinavian king,” Brooksey said. “He is the chairman of the Council of Ministers.”
Moroccan observers say that in 2022 and earlier this year, the king spent significant periods (sometimes as long as months) in France and Gabon. His absence comes as the country faces a host of challenges, including high inflation, drought and sluggish growth.
But those in power in Morocco seem particularly concerned about his relationship with Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Abu Bakr Azaitar and his brother, who became regular visitors to the royal palace and accompanied the monarch abroad as a personal trainer.
The brothers were reportedly introduced to the Reign ahead of Abu Bakr’s UFC debut in 2018, with a source close to the court saying they “were everywhere and acted as if they had this place”. “They used to talk rudely to everyone. They were very arrogant and even tried to control access to the king.”
The North African kingdom is one of the most stable countries in the Arab world but suffers from widespread economic and social inequality. During the monarch’s 24-year reign, billions of dollars were poured into infrastructure such as affordable housing and bringing electricity to villages. The country has also built successful export industries, including automobiles and textiles.
But progress on health, education and judicial reforms has lagged.
Morocco has also been hit by high inflation since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, at 7.1% in June, while increasingly frequent droughts have also weighed on agricultural output and economic growth. Gross domestic product will grow by 1.1% in 2022, compared with 7.9% the year before, according to the African Development Bank.
“The governance system is one of the most effective in the Middle East,” said a European analyst. “But it’s also very vertically integrated. There’s no denying that (the king’s) absence had an impact on decision-making.”
The Azaitar siblings were born in Germany to Moroccan immigrants and grew up on the outskirts of Cologne, where Abu Bakr has a criminal record. At 17, he was jailed for assaulting a businessman, dousing him with gasoline and stealing his Ferrari.
An April article in The Economist detailing the friendship between Morocco’s rulers and the Azatars triggered “an earthquake among the elite” in Morocco, according to one Moroccan observer. While local media criticized the story as superficial and populist, they pointed out that Moroccan media had already published the story about the Azatars.
In a country where independent journalists are imprisoned, the Moroccan media has lashed out at the brothers and questioned their apparent entry into the palace.
The digital newspaper Hespress described the Azaitars as a “time bomb” ready to “explode in front of the Moroccans” and asked: “What role do the Azaitars play in the Moroccan political and social arena?” What kind of dead-end are you dragging Morocco into?”
Analysts said the fiercely critical reports reflected unease within the ruling elite about the king’s relationship with the Azatar family.
“The fact that these articles are published in Morocco means that the powerful elite are not happy with what’s going on,” said Haizam Amira-Fernandez, a senior analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute think tank in Madrid. The impact on the stability of the country will also worry about your relationship with the ruler.”
Moroccan media questioned how the brothers raised funds to start their business in the prime location of Morocco. They also lambasted their lifestyle flaunting on social media, their disrespectful use of royal symbols on items such as bathrobes, and the names of their fast food restaurants “Royal Burger” and “Royal Donuts”. The entrance to the latter is decorated with a large, colorful plastic armchair with a crown reminiscent of a throne.
“The images are clear enough that a simple exercise in semiotics can tell us the story these hooligans want to promote,” Hess Price wrote last year.
The Azaitar brothers did not respond to a FT request for comment.
The return of the king and his increased profile may reflect “domestic pressure, especially from within the palace”, the European analyst said.
Now that he’s back, the Azaitar siblings appear to be keeping a low profile. However, the Moroccan observer said: “It is difficult to judge whether they have completely left the scene.”
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