HM the King Chairs Opening of 1st Session of 4th Legislative Year of 11th Legislature

Rabat - HM King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, chaired, on Friday afternoon in Rabat, the opening of the first session of the fourth legislative year of the 11th Legislature.

Upon His arrival at the Parliament headquarters, HM the King greeted the national colors to the tune of the national anthem, before reviewing a detachment of the Royal Guard that made the honors.

The Sovereign was then greeted by Rachid Talbi Alami, speaker of the House of Representatives, Enaam Mayara, speaker of the House of Councilors, Mohammed Yacoubi, Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, governor of the Rabat prefecture, and the secretaries-general of both Houses of Parliament.

Before reaching the official gallery, HM the King greeted with His hands, from the balcony of the Parliament building, the enthusiastic crowd of citizens who came to express their loyalty to the Sovereign's August person and their unfailing attachment to the Glorious Alaouite Throne.

After reading verses from the Holy Quran, HM the King delivered a speech before the members of both Houses of Parliament, in which the Sovereign highlighted the positive momentum in the Moroccan Sahara issue, “considered by all Moroccans to be their foremost national Cause.”

HM the King welcomed, on this occasion, the position of the French Republic, which backs Morocco’s sovereignty over the entire territory of the Sahara and supports the Autonomy Initiative within the framework of Morocco’s territorial integrity as the sole basis for resolving this artificial regional conflict.

This positive evolution, which upholds justice and legitimacy by recognizing Morocco’s historical rights, emanates from a major country, a permanent member of the Security Council and an influential player on the global stage, the Sovereign stated.

This recognition also supports the efforts exerted at the United Nations level to lay the groundwork for a political process that would lead to a final settlement of this issue within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, HM the King added.

The Sovereign also welcomed the recognition by influential countries which are permanent members of the Security Council, such as the United States of America and France. These include Spain, a friend country which knows the finer details of the issue, and whose stance on the matter has significant political and historical implications - “as well as the majority of European Union members,” HM the King maintained.

"In addition to that, we take pride in the stances of Arab and African sister nations, which have been clearly and steadfastly backing the Kingdom’s territorial integrity, especially the countries that have opened consulates in Laayun and Dakhla,” HM the King added.

The Sovereign took this opportunity to stress that “the next stage requires further mobilization and vigilance on the part of everyone. The goal is to keep consolidating our country’s position, to publicise our just cause, and to thwart our enemies’ manoeuvers.”

In this respect, the fundamental elements underpinning the Moroccan position need to be explained to the few countries whose stances on the issue still go against the logic of law and history, HM the King said, stressing the importance of convincing them through legal, political and historical evidence as well as spiritual arguments that confirm the legitimacy of the Sahara as a Moroccan territory.

This approach requires concerted efforts on the part of all national institutions and bodies, as well as governmental, party and civic organisations, with greater coordination between them to increase efficiency and ensure the effectiveness of their action, the Sovereign pointed out.

HM the King called for greater coordination between the two Houses of Parliament in this regard, and the creation of appropriate internal structures with qualified human resources, adding that the standards of competence and expertise also need to be taken into account in forming delegations, both for bilateral meetings and for participation in regional and international forums.

The Sovereign reaffirmed that “Morocco will never waver in its position. Our country will remain open to its Maghreb and regional environment, thereby contributing to the achievement of joint development, and to the security and stability of the peoples in the region.”

Subsequently, HM the King, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, received Rachid Talbi Alami, who presented the Sovereign with the activity report of the House of Representatives for the 2023-2024 legislative year, as well as other House publications.

HM the King, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, also received Enaam Mayara, who presented the Sovereign with several publications on the activity report of the House of Councilors for the 2023-2024 legislative year.

Accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, the Sovereign then received Mustapha Baitas, minister delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Relations with Parliament and government spokesman, who presented His Majesty the King with an activity report on the government's relations with Parliament during the third legislative year of the 11th Parliament.

HM the King then chaired a reception held in honor of the members of the Houses of Representatives and Councilors to mark the opening of the first session of the fourth legislative year of the 11th Parliament.