King Mohammed VI is set to deliver the opening speech of the new legislative year remotely from the Royal Palace in Rabat.
The fifth and final legislative year of the 10th Moroccan legislature is set to begin on Friday, October 9.
Traditionally, King Mohammed VI delivers the opening speech at the Moroccan Parliament, before all Moroccan parliamentarians.
This year, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the King will deliver his speech through videoconference. The video will be broadcasted on a large screen at the Moroccan Parliament.
The opening session’s attendance will also be restricted. In previous years, all MPs from across Morocco attended the session. This year, only the presidents of Morocco’s parliamentary chambers and the heads of parliamentary groups, along with few government officials, will attend the session.
During the new legislative year, Moroccan MPs will have to discuss several important issues, most notably the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Finance Bill, and the upcoming 2021 general election.
King Mohammed VI will likely touch on the three topics in his speech on Friday.
Read also: King Mohammed VI Delivers Speech on Opening of Parliament
Last year, the King addressed two main issues in the opening speech of the legislative year.
He called on political parties to show a sense of unity and to work together to face the challenges hindering Morocco’s development.
The monarch instructed Moroccan MPs to “compete to serve the citizens’ interests and the nation’s causes,” away from any “pointless disputes, or wasting of time and energy.”
King Mohammed VI also urged the private sector, especially financial and banking institutions, to actively contribute to Morocco’s new development model.
He highlighted the role of banks as the sources of loans and investment packages, urging the financial institutions “to play a greater social role in promoting development, especially by simplifying and facilitating access to loans, by being more open to self-employment projects, and by financing the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises.”
