Aziz Akhannouch; The Moroccan Billionaire and King's Friend Who Heads the Government

Today, Morocco is going through the government alliance process in order to form a government after the September 8th elections, led by the incoming Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, had appointed Aziz Akhannouch as prime minister and assigned him to form a government on Friday, on September 10th.

“There is no wealth without power, and no power without wealth,” a phrase that sums up the path of the leader of the National Rally of Independents, Aziz Akhannouch, a businessman who defeated the Islamists of the “Justice and Development” party removing them from the Government.

In an article about Akhannouch, the Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted a member of the Moroccan NGO Transparency, activist, and economist Fouad Abdelmoumen, as saying that Akhannouch “has neither charisma nor political intelligence.”

As for its main advantages, it is summarized in: “Its proximity to the king and his wealth.” These will also be, according to him, his “great weaknesses.”

 

Birth and Upbringing

The Soussi billionaire, head of the Moroccan National Rally of Independents party, Aziz Akhannouch, was born in 1961 in the city of Tafraout in southern Morocco. He is a father of three children and has been married to his cousin Salwa El Idrissi since 1993. Forbes Middle East named his wife, Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch as “number 19 on its Power Businesswomen 2021 list.”

 

Academic Career 

Akhannouch obtained a diploma in corporate and project management from the University of Sherbrooke in Canada. In the early 1980s. Akhannouch's father chose to send his son to Canada to pursue higher studies. Aziz returned to Morocco in 1986, with more than one diploma in management and administration. He was the founder of many companies operating in different economic sectors. By his father's support, he had accumulated an important fortune, and learnt trade and the art of making deals at an early age.

 

Economic Responsibilities

Aziz Akhannouch held the position of Chairman of the Council of the Souss-Massa-Draa region between 2003 and 2007. He was also a member of the Thinking Group of the late King Hassan II until 1999. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Reintegration of prisoners.

Akhannouch managed "Africa Gas" and expanded the areas of its activities to become a leader in the hydrocarbons sector; Where he is nicknamed the gas man because he chairs the "Aqua" holding, which includes about 50 companies in various fields, foremost of which is gas distribution.

3 years ago, the Moroccans had led a boycott campaign described as successful by the Reuters news agency against his company in protest against his company's monopoly on the market, which led to a rise in gasoline prices in Morocco. Reuters confirmed that the boycott led to a decline in the shares of this company in the stock market.

He previously headed the Association of Moroccan Oilers and served as a member of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, a grouping of Moroccan businessmen and the state's interlocutor to protect their interests. Akhannouch is also a member of the board of directors of the Moroccan Bank for Foreign Trade, a member of the Academia Foundation, and a member of Bank Al-Maghrib.

 

Political Experience

Akhannouch, who has held the position of Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fishing since 2007, was elected by a majority as president of the National Rally of Independents on October 29, 2016.

The National Rally of Independents is a center-right liberal party that has participated in multiple Moroccan governments since the seventies. It was founded after the legislative elections in Morocco in 1977, and was formed - under the leadership of Ahmed Osman, son-in-law of the late King Hassan II. 

According to Abdelaziz Aftati, a former parliamentarian from the Justice and Development Party, "the historical and political context of the party's emergence was formed at the behest of the royal palace with the aim of creating a kind of balance with the parties that have been quarreling with the legitimate political ownership in the country since Morocco’s independence."

One of the most prominent positions that Akhannouch was famous for is Morocco’s Political Blockage of 2017. When he imposed harsh conditions on Benkirane, who was prime minister, to conclude a government alliance, despite the lack of parliamentary seats that his party had. When Benkirane refused Akhannouch's terms, the king removed him from his position as prime minister.

The former Prime Minister Othmani was appointed to replace Benkirane at the head of the government. Then, he accepted all of Akhannouch's conditions, so the government was composed of six parties. However, Akhannouch's ambition was more than just winning important ministries in the Othmani’s government, as he began to clearly announce his intentions to sweep the 2021 elections.

 

Akhannouch the Prime Minister

Moroccan businessman Aziz Akhannouch ended the control of the Islamist "Justice and Development" party over the government in Morocco. The man, who combined politics and economics, rose to prominence after the announcement of his party, the National Rally of Independents, leading the parliamentary elections in the Kingdom of Morocco. Akhannouch has held the position of Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries since 2007. He joined the "National Rally of Independents" party and froze his position within it for years before returning to it in 2016. Akhannouch was absent from the political scene, preoccupied with the economy.

Akhannouch, a wealthy businessman, has held the Ministry of Agriculture since 2007, and is described as close to the palace. He also played a key role in forming the outgoing government, in which his party held key ministries such as economy, finance, industry and tourism. He also participated in successive governments for 23 years.

The biggest challenge Akhannouch faces, after his appointment as prime minister, in the wake of his party's victory in the 2021 elections, is how to achieve his electoral promises, specifically financial promises of compensation for the elderly, raising wages and retirement, and providing one million job opportunities. This is what the governor of Bank Al-Maghrib described as “unrealistic” promises.

Benkirane, a former Moroccan prime minister, described him as "lacking rhetorical abilities compared to other personalities present in the political arena."

Accusations have increased to woo him with using money in an unprecedented manner in the electoral campaign, not only from the ruling Justice and Development Party, but even from other authority-backed parties. The African news agency quoted Abdellatif Ouahbi, secretary general of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM, liberal) telling "We accuse the National Rally of Independents (RNI, liberal) of flooding the political scene with money."