Aziz Akhannouch, the prime minister and a wealthy businessman who built his money in the distribution of petroleum, is being demanded to resign by thousands of Moroccan internet users. They claim that he benefited from the rising gas prices.
Recently created, the hashtag asking the 61-year-old head of state to step down has already been shared by roughly 600,000 Facebook accounts.
While the monthly minimum wage is approximately 270 euros, the call also includes a demand to halve the price of gasoline (about 16 dirhams, 1.5 euros), as well as diesel (more than 14 dirhams).
Although this virtual campaign did not lead to any protests, it did spark a political and media debate that was supported by politicians and opposition unions.
“The oil companies continue to plunder Moroccans in the silence and impotence of the government,” the Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT) said this week, accusing them of “accumulating immoral profits”.
Morocco is suffering modest growth (+1.5%) and very high inflation, which, according on official projections, should surpass 5.3 percent in 2022.
In an international climate highlighted by the Covid-19 outbreak, the war in Ukraine, as well as an unprecedented drought hurting agriculture, a crucial industry for the nation, the administration explains the high cost of living.
– Money and power –
Internet users are furious with Mr. Akhannouch, who they claim is “profiting” from the crisis because he is the majority shareholder of Afriquia, the market leader in Morocco’s hydrocarbons, which are largely imported, along with the titans Total and Shell.
Forbes estimates that he has a personal fortune of $2 billion, making him one of the wealthiest Moroccans.
“For the initiators of this campaign, Aziz Akhannouch embodies the alliance of money and power. According to them, he does not bring solutions, he is part of the problem,” explains political scientist Mohamed Chakir to AFP.
Political analyst Ahmed Bouz concurs that it is “crucial and deserves to be asked” whether there is a conflict of interest between the administration and the business community, noting that it poses “a significant communication challenge for Akhannouch and his cabinet.”
The Prime Minister, who easily won the legislative elections in 2021, has kept silent in the face of the usual criticism. A campaign to boycott his company Afriquia and other significant industrialists was previously launched in 2018 while he was the minister of agriculture to protest the rising expense of living.
Additionally, none of the Moroccan oil firms have spoken.
