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Rabat – Morocco’s former Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi was admitted to the Cheikh Khalifa Hospital in Casablanca yesterday, May 24, according to reports citing his entourage.
The 96-year-old former secretary-general of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) regularly undergoes medical checks due to his old age, reports said.
While the reason for his hospital visit is not public knowledge, his wife Helene assured that his health condition is stable, local media reported.
Morocco’s Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani also said Youssoufi’s condition is stable and wished him a quick recovery on Twitter.
Born in 1924 in Tangier, Youssoufi was the leader of Morocco’s transitional government between the rule of late King Hassan II and his son King Mohammed VI, serving as prime minister between 1998 and 2002.
Youssoufi was a human rights lawyer, and since 1944, at the age of 20, the activist dedicated himself to organize the working class of Casablanca. In 1949, Youssoufi began to fight for the rights of emigrant Moroccan workers in France.
Youssoufi’s political career began in 1959 when he joined the National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP). His political activism led to his arrest in 1959 and again in 1963, with the latter arrest leading to a two-year prison sentence. After his release, Youssoufi decided to live in Paris for 15 years.
In 1980, amid what historians call Morocco’s “years of lead,” Youssoufi returned to Morocco and joined the USFP. Twelve years later, Youssoufi became the party’s secretary-general after the death of former leader Abderrahim Bouabid.
In 1998, King Hassan II named Youssoufi the prime minister of Morocco. Youssoufi’s government is known for providing greater freedoms for Moroccan people and media.
Youssoufi retired from politics in 2003 and has since lived a relatively quiet life in Casablanca.
The former politician was hospitalized in 2016 for pneumonia and received a visit from King Mohammed VI.
Youssoufi’s last public appearance dates back to January 2020 in Fez, where he presented a book about his political experience by Driss Guerraoui, a Moroccan economist and current head of the country’s Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE).
