Rabat – Moroccans should set forward their clocks one hour (GMT+1) at 02:00 a.m. on July 2 revealed the Ministry of Civil Service and Modernization of Administration.
This decisionis an implementation of decree number 2-12-781 from Sept.28, 2013, modifying decree N° 2-12-126 from April 18, 2012 on changing time, said the ministry in a statement on June 25.
Switching to Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the spring and switch back to standard time just before Ramadan, then return to DST after the holy month, has not been accepted by all Moroccan citizens.
In 2015, an online petition was launched calling on the government to withdraw its decision to adopt Daylight Saving Time. Petitioners claimed the decision was harmful to their well being, citing an increase in the risk of heart attacks and disturbances in sleep patterns.
However the government has defended the decision, saying that it increases the competitiveness of the national economy by reducing the cost of energy bills and facilitating transactions with regional economic partners, especially those in Europe.
