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Rabat – Morocco will return to daylight saving time (GMT+1) on Sunday, May 8 at 2 a.m.
Morocco’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and Administrative Reform announced the news prior to Ramadan.
Located in the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) zone, Morocco adopted in October 2018 decree 2.18.855 to officially follow GMT+1.
The government justified the decision by invoking the need to increase the competitiveness of the national economy by reducing energy consumption and cutting the time difference between Morocco and its trading partners, particularly in Europe.
However, the country returns to GMT every year for the holy month of Ramadan.
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This year, Morocco switched back to GMT on Sunday, March 27 at 3 a.m, a week prior to Ramadan.
This trend of switching back and forth between GMT and GMT+1 started in Morocco in 2008. At that time, Ramadan fell in the summer season.
The decision to officially adopt GMT+1 timing in Morocco, however, struck a public uproar as many Moroccans opposed and questioned the effectiveness of the measure.
With the government justifying the time change as a tool to reduce energy consumption, it does not seem to be the case during winter when students and the workforce are obliged to wake up before sunrise in some cases, leading to more electricity consumption.
Critics of the move have notably argued that the return to GMT during Ramadan causes confusion with many fearing being late to their classes or workplaces.
