Morocco's Government Reacts to Hashtags Demanding Akhannouch’s Resignation

Laayoune – Mustapha Baitas, the Spokesperson for the Moroccan Government, has responded to the viral hashtag #GetoutAkhannouch that calls for the resignation of the head of government, Aziz Akhennouch.

Baitas said that the Moroccan government is actively listening to the demands of its citizens. He added that the government is “trying to take all measures likely to reduce the prices of several products, which have recently soared.”

The government’s spokesperson focused on a number of government initiatives to alleviate the impact of the increase in prices of gas and general goods, such as aid to public transport agents worth MAD 2.1 billion ($206 million). Baitas also noted the additional MAD 16 billion ($1.57 billion) that was allocated to pay for the Compensation Fund’s expenses.

Baitas’s message comes at the heels of a viral new hashtag. The hashtag #GetoutAkhannouch, which was first used in French (#degageakhannouch), has amassed over 100,000 tweets and thousands of retweets over the last seven days.

Some people added captions to their posts to explain why they planned to continue supporting the social media campaign. Several Twitter users have started using the hashtag with an English description, highlighting that it is their civic duty to support the movement as Moroccan citizens.

بعد انخفاض سعر برميل النفط عالميا، و في غياب منافسة سوقية ” شريفة و شرسة ” ..
الهاشتاغ :#7dh_Gazoil #8dh_Essence #Dégage_Akhannouch pic.twitter.com/sEd2MW5hQm
— moorich Marocco ???? (@badre_marocco) July 14, 2022

The hashtag primarily serves as a response to the rising prices of gas, as it seeks to draw attention to the worrisome price hikes for products and food, especially petrol.

The price of gas has continued to rise since the Ukraine Crisis, which has disrupted the global supply chain. Diesel was priced at MAD 15 ($1.49) a liter on Wednesday, June 15, while gasoline hit MAD 18 ($1.79), a record high for the commonly traded product in Morocco.