King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, chaired a ministerial council on Sunday at the Royal Palace in Rabat.
The following is a statement from the Royal Cabinet: "His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, chaired on Sunday, October 19, 2025, corresponding to 26 Rabi' al-Thani 1447 AH, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a ministerial council, which was devoted to deliberating on the general directions of the draft finance law for the year 2026, and approving draft organic laws, two draft decrees concerning the military field, in addition to a number of international agreements, and a set of appointments to senior positions. In accordance with the provisions of Article 49 of the Constitution, the Minister of Economy and Finance presented a presentation to His Majesty the King on the broad outlines of the draft finance law for the year 2026. The Minister highlighted that this project was prepared in light of the directives and royal instructions, which were included in the last two speeches on the occasions of the glorious Throne Day and the opening of the legislative year. This comes within an international context marked by uncertainty, which has affected the prospects for economic growth globally. Nationally, the national economy is expected to record growth of 4.8%, for the current year, supported by a recovery in domestic demand, and the vitality of the productive fabric, given the remarkable dynamism of non-agricultural activities. These encouraging economic results were enhanced thanks to the control of inflation at 1.1% at the end of August 2025, and the continuous control of the budget deficit at 3.5% of the gross domestic product. The financial law also aims to accelerate the "Ascending Morocco" projects, and achieve national development that combines social justice and integrated territorial development, in the service of all citizens on an equal footing. To this end, the draft finance law for 2026 is based on four major priorities: • First: Consolidating economic gains to strengthen our country's position among emerging countries: by stimulating private investments, both national and foreign, accelerating the effective implementation of the investment charter, activating Morocco's offer of green hydrogen, continuously improving the attractiveness of the business climate, strengthening the innovative partnership between the public and private sectors, in addition to diversifying sources of financing the economy. Special attention will be paid to very small, small and medium-sized enterprises, which are considered among the most important sources of employment in the national productive fabric, especially through the activation of a new mechanism for technical assistance, and financial support for their investments, for the benefit of creating jobs and achieving territorial justice. Within the same framework, efforts will be intensified to integrate youth and women into the world of work, as well as to reduce the effects of drought on employment in rural areas, in addition to continuing the program to support livestock breeders and reshape the national herd. • Second: Launching the new generation of integrated territorial development programs: by focusing on consolidating local specificities, strengthening advanced regionalization, and on the principle of solidarity between territorial areas. It will be prepared based on extensive consultation with various stakeholders concerned at the territorial level, with priority given to creating jobs for young people, and effective support for the education and health sectors, in addition to territorial qualification. Special attention will be given in this framework to the most fragile areas, especially the mountains and oases, and to the sustainable development of the national coasts, as well as to expanding the scope of the national program for the development of ascending rural centers. On the other hand, and in implementation of the royal instructions, the focus during 2026 will be on strengthening the budgetary effort allocated to the health and national education sectors, to reach a total financial envelope estimated at 140 billion dirhams, in addition to creating more than 27,000 financial positions for the two sectors. Thus, and with regard to the health sector, the focus will be on improving the offer of health infrastructure, by opening the university hospital centers in both Agadir and Laayoune, completing the construction and equipment of the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat, and continuing the construction of university hospital centers in each of Beni Mellal, Guelmim, and Errachidia, in addition to launching the rehabilitation and modernization of 90 hospitals. In parallel, work will be done to accelerate the implementation of the roadmap for reforming the educational system, by accelerating the generalization of pre-school education, strengthening educational support services, and improving the quality of education… • Third: Continuing to consolidate the foundations of the social state: by continuing to implement the royal project to generalize social protection, and continuing to activate the direct social support program for 4 million families, with raising the monthly value of child benefits by amounts ranging between 50 and 100 dirhams for each child of the first three children, with the activation of special assistance for orphans and neglected children residing in social care institutions. In addition to activating the rest of the cornerstones of this project, especially expanding enrollment in retirement systems, generalizing unemployment compensation, in addition to continuing the direct support program for the acquisition of primary housing. • Fourth: Continuing major structural reforms and maintaining the balances of public finances: especially through the reform of the organic law on finance law, which embodies a profound transformation in the model of governance of public policies, and is moving more towards accountability and achieving results, in addition to consecrating convergence and territorial localization for the management of these policies. Efforts will also be made to accelerate the reform of public institutions and companies, by continuing to restructure the public portfolio, improving its returns, in addition to enhancing the efficiency of its investments, according to a perspective of balanced territorial distribution, in addition to continuing the reform and modernization of the judicial system, with the aim of bringing justice closer to citizens, and enhancing the attractiveness of the business climate. After the Ministerial Council approved the general directions of the draft finance law for the year 2026, four organic law projects were approved. These are two organic law projects relating, respectively, to the House of Representatives and political parties: The draft organic law on the House of Representatives aims to sanitize the upcoming legislative entitlements and ensure their safety, and to produce elites who enjoy legitimacy and trust, by protecting access to the parliamentary institution in the face of anyone who has been issued judgments that result in the loss of electoral eligibility, adopting the necessary firmness to exclude anyone who is found in the act of committing any crime that affects the safety of electoral operations, in addition to tightening the penalties prescribed to deter all attempts that may target the safety of electoral operations at all stages. To encourage young people who do not exceed 35 years of age to enter the political field, this project aims to review and simplify the conditions for their candidacy, whether within the framework of party endorsement or without it, and to grant significant financial incentives to help them bear the expenses of the election campaign, by giving them financial support that covers 75% of the expenses of their election campaigns. The project also proposes to allocate the regional electoral districts exclusively to women in support of their presence in the parliamentary institution. As for the draft organic law on political parties, it aims primarily to develop the legal framework regulating them, and to establish the rules to help enhance the participation of women and youth in the process of establishing parties, as well as to improve their governance, and control their finances and accounts, with a view to qualifying the party work in our country, to keep pace with the rapid developments witnessed by Moroccan society. The other two organic law projects relate, respectively, to determining the conditions and procedures for paying for the unconstitutionality of a law, and to amending and supplementing the organic law on the Constitutional Court. The first project falls within the framework of implementing the provisions of Article 133 of the Constitution, which authorized the Constitutional Court to rule on the payment, raised by one of the parties to the dispute in a case, on the unconstitutionality of a law that affects the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. This project takes into account the decision of the Constitutional Court regarding some provisions that it considered to be in violation of the Constitution. The project related to the Constitutional Court aims to increase the effectiveness of the performance of this court and improve the rules of its functioning, especially by determining the authority that can challenge the process and results of the elections of the members of the Constitutional Court elected by the members of the two chambers of Parliament, and exempting the Constitutional Court from notifying its decisions related to the electoral appeals related to the elections of the members of the two chambers of Parliament, to the concerned parties, and assigning this jurisdiction to the authority in charge of receiving declarations of candidacy for these elections, as well as adding a provision stating that the appointed or elected member who replaces a member before the end of his term of office for any reason, cannot be reappointed or elected to the Constitutional Court if the period he completed exceeds three years. Thereafter, the Ministerial Council approved two draft decrees concerning the military field: The first draft decree relates to the basic regulations for the employees of the General Directorate for Information Systems Security at the National Defense Administration, and aims, in particular, to establish special basic regulations for the employees of this General Directorate, which enables the recruitment of qualified competencies through the adoption of flexible and effective recruitment methods, and the granting of an incentive allowance commensurate with the nature of the sensitive tasks assigned to them. As for the second draft decree, it provides for the amendment and completion of the provisions of the decree relating to the organization and management of the Royal School of Military Health, in order to adapt it to the legislative and regulatory texts related to the reform of the national health system, in addition to enabling the candidates accepted at this school to benefit from the financial status granted to the officer cadets in the various military schools ; in addition to establishing a "Scientific Research Council", which undertakes to define the axes of scientific research and carry out related activities. Within the framework of continuing to strengthen the partnership and cooperation relations that bring together Morocco with a number of brotherly and friendly countries, and strengthening its position at the continental and international levels, the Ministerial Council approved 14 international agreements, including ten bilateral agreements and four multilateral agreements. The bilateral agreements relate to the areas of judicial and military cooperation, social security, air services, mutual recognition of driving licenses, and the avoidance of double taxation. The multilateral agreements relate to Morocco's hosting of two permanent headquarters of the African Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, and the Union of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions in Africa, as well as the London Protocol on rules for the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea, and the Geneva Convention on the modernization of seafarers' identity documents”. In accordance with the provisions of Article 49 of the Constitution, and at the proposal of the Head of Government, and at the initiative of the Minister of the Interior, His Majesty the King, may God protect him, appointed a number of walis and governors in the territorial administration: 1. Mr. Khatib El Hebil, as Wali of the Marrakech-Safi region and governor of the Marrakech prefecture; 2. Mr. Khalid Aït Taleb, as Wali of the Fez-Meknes region and governor of the Fez prefecture; 3. Mr. Mohamed Atfaoui, as Wali of the Oriental region and governor of the Oujda-Angad prefecture; 4. Mr. Fouad Haji, as governor of the Al Hoceima province; 5. Mr. Hassan Zitouni, as governor of the Azilal province; 6. Mr. Sidi Essalih Daha, as governor of the El Jadida province; 7. Mr. Abdelkhalek Merzouki, as governor of the Casablanca-Anfa prefectures prefecture; 8. Mr. Mohamed El Alami Ouedane, as governor of the Zagora province; 9. Mr. Mustapha El Maaza, as governor of the Al Haouz province; 10. Mr. Rachid Benchikhi, as governor of the Taza province; 11. Mr. Mohamed El Azhar, as governor of the Inezgane-Aït Melloul prefecture; 12. Mr. Mohamed Khalfaoui, as governor of the Fahs-Anjra province 13. Mr. Zakaria Hachlaf, as governor of the Chefchaouen province; 14. Mr. Abdelaziz Zerouali, as governor of the Sidi Kacem province; 15. Mr. Abdelkarim El Ghanam, as governor of the Taounat province. * At the proposal of the Head of Government, and at the initiative of the Minister of Economy and Finance, His Majesty appointed Mr. Tariq Sahnaji, as Head of the Moroccan Capital Market Authority. (With)
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