Moroccans will have to set their clocks forward to the GMT+1 time on Sunday, May 31.
Rabat – The Moroccan Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Administration Reform has reminded citizens that Morocco will set its clocks forward to GMT+1 tomorrow, May 31 at 2 a.m.
This means the current time will advance by 60 minutes (from GMT to GMT+1).
The ministry had decided on April 19 at 3:00 a.m. as the country’s return to GMT, on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
The decision is part of the application of Article 2 of Law 2.18.855, issued on October 26, 2018.
The GMT+1 decision to change clocks by one hour, also known as Daylight Saving Time (DST), previously took place every summer.
Morocco now adopts GMT+1 permanently, and only switches back to GMT for Ramadan when it falls during the summer months.
The decision sparked controversy in Morocco and generated demonstrations condemning the government’s lack of consultations on the issue with the public. In June 2019, the Moroccan government issued a 24-page study about the positive impact of this decision.
The report claimed that the adoption of DST contributes to maintaining the stability of the population’s health as it stops the clock from changing several times a year.
The DST decision first came with an aim of saving energy, and led to a decrease of electricity consumption between October 2018 and March 2019 by 0.3%, saving 37.6 GWh.
