Mohammed VI of Morocco

Mohammed VI (Mohammed ben El Hassan; 21 August 1963) is King of Morocco, reigning since 1999.

A member of the Alawi dynasty, Mohammed was born during the reign of his father, King Hassan II. At an early age, he began partaking in public engagements on behalf of his father. Upon ascending to the throne following Hassan's death, Mohammed initially introduced several reforms and changed the family code to grant more rights to women in Morocco.

In 2011, protests in Morocco that were considered part of the wider Arab Spring occurred against alleged government corruption. In response, Mohammed enacted several reforms and introduced a new constitution. These reforms were passed by public referendum on 1 July 2011. His other reforms have included modernising the economy and military force of Morocco, promoting non-sectarian Islam and Berber culture, including designating Standard Moroccan Amazigh as an official national language alongside Standard Arabic and Yennayer (the Amazigh New Year) as a national holiday, and curtailing the influence of religious extremism.

In foreign policy, Mohammed continued in the moderate tradition established by his father, who was held to be a moderating influence among Arab nations and in relations between the Arab world and the West. He diversified Morocco's ties with key global players, including the United States, the European Union, and China, and prioritized relations with African countries and international recognition of Morocco's claim to the territory of Western Sahara. Morocco became the sixth Arab League country to normalize ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

Mohammed has vast business holdings across several economic sectors in Morocco. In 2015, Forbes estimated his net worth at over US$5.2 billion. Leaked diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks in 2010 led to allegations of corruption in the royal court, implicating him and his closest advisors.