Mohamed VI cancels one of the four speeches he addresses to Moroccans each year

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has cancelled one of the four speeches he gives annually to Moroccans, namely the one on 20 August for the King and People's Revolution, which commemorates the exile of his grandfather Mohammed V and the struggle for independence. 

In a statement issued Friday by the Royal Palace, it is reported that the anniversary will continue to be celebrated, "without a royal address to the nation on this occasion". 

The reason for the cancellation, according to the statement, is that it comes a few days after the Throne Day speech, which takes place on 30 July, and before the speech he addresses Parliament on the second Friday of October to mark the new legislative year. 

The communiqué adds that Mohammed VI "reserves the right to address his faithful people at any time and on any occasion". 

The King and People's Revolution speech dates back to the time of Hassan II, Mohammed VI's father, on a holiday commemorating the forced exile to Madagascar of the current monarch's grandfather, Mohammed V, on 20 August 1953, under pressure from the French Protectorate authorities. 

In addition to this speech, Mohammed VI addresses the nation twice a year, one on the occasion of the Throne Festival on 30 July and the other on the commemoration of the Green March on 6 November. 

On the second Friday in October, he delivers another of his annual speeches to Parliament, the opening of the new legislative year. 

In his speeches, the monarch sets the guidelines for government and his words on these occasions are used as a reference for the conduct of Morocco's domestic and foreign policy.