How the succession to the throne in the Kingdom of Morocco takes place

For some time now, a number of "specialists", "alauitologists", "marrocologists" and other necromancers who invoke the spirits of mysterious monarchist ancestors everywhere have been filling the pages of Spanish, French and British newspapers with increasingly histrionic and alarmist prognoses about "the succession to the throne in Morocco", which they claim is "imminent", "surprising", "questioned", if not "compromised" or "failed".

With these lines I do not intend to enter into polemics with anyone, because it will serve no purpose. As a journalist, political analyst and follower of the historical evolution of the Maghreb - essentially Algeria and Morocco - for half a century, I would simply like to point out certain principles and outlines that will help readers of ATALAYAR and Spanish public opinion in general to understand the succession issue we are dealing with.

First of all, it is a mistake to limit the succession to the Moroccan throne to the hereditary line that occurs in most of the world's royal houses (Spain, the United Kingdom, Monaco, Norway, Denmark and many others), and even in the Arab and Islamic world of member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), such as Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia and Thailand.

While the issue of succession is very particular to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a country whose constitution is based on the Muslim holy book, the Alcoran, and where a balanced and standardised mix of religious concepts and family ties prevails, the case of Morocco is the most atypical of all.

To understand how, when and in what way the succession to the Alawite throne takes place in Morocco, it is necessary to take into account the functions of the monarch, which are essentially two: head of state and Emir of the believers. The Moroccan sovereign has both prerogatives, that of heading the state and that of commanding the community of believers. His designation first as Crown Prince and his subsequent succession to the throne must correspond to the norms and rules governing both functions.

In neighbouring Morocco, the first-born son of King Mohammed VI is the undisputed Crown Prince, as stipulated in the new constitution approved by referendum and in force since 2011. This year, 2023, Crown Prince Mulay el Hassan turns twenty and is in a position to accede to the throne should the need arise. His greater or lesser preparation to face the problems of our time - wars, epidemics, socio-economic crises - is not a handicap; he will have to continue his education, as did his great-grandfather Mohammed V, who was responsible for setting up independent Morocco, his grandfather Hassan II, builder of a new state, and his father Mohammed VI, pioneer of the democratisation of its structures and of modernity. None of Mulay el Hassan's ancestors were "one hundred percent ready" to assume the throne, and yet they did.

Whether the future King will surround himself with new advisors, a new and perhaps young team of experts in all matters, leaving aside, or not, his father's old team of royal advisors, as his father did with those of Hassan II for the most part, will depend solely on him. His way of governing could change, as could the executive exercise of the Head of State by leading government meetings in person, or by continuing the separation that exists today between the executive meetings presided over by the King and the purely managerial meetings presided over by the head of government; and he could even delegate more functions and move away from the day-to-day executive function of government. All this is possible, but it will only be done when the Crown Prince takes the Throne and decides on the way forward. Nothing is set in stone. To speculate otherwise is a vacuous exercise in punditry.

The second aspect to take into account, which in the case of Morocco is imperative and transcendental, is the King's religious function. As Commander of the Believers, he is so both for the vast majority of the population who are Muslims of Sunni obedience and Malachite rite, and for any other minority of Muslim confession that may exist, whether Shia or Kharijite. But, in addition, the king, as Emir, is also Emir of the rest of Moroccans, Christians and Jews, and of all believers in the religions of the Book who reside in Morocco.

This concept of the Emirate is in fact what gives cohesion and solidity to the Moroccan people and the country. The national motto of "God, Homeland and King" is a hierarchy of values and powers, where religion is above all else, the homeland is subordinate to it, and at the bottom rung is the Sovereign who must watch over and protect both.

Translated into the succession scheme, the future Emir of the faithful must also respond to the rules imposed by the canonical Constitution, which is the one that reigns in the country's religious framework and dictates the functioning of Islamic and religious practice in general. Constitutionally, following the two laws that make up the ideological structure of the country, the King cannot designate his heir on a whim or personal preference. Succession obeys rules, and so far, since Morocco became independent in the 1950s, this has been the case.

While the line of succession to the head of state can be considered unproblematic, that of the Emirate of believers requires a particular balance between the different components of religious power in Morocco. In addition to the official religious apparatus, which consists of tens of thousands of mosques, thousands of imams, preachers, religious training centres, institutes and universities, the Muslim ideological universe also plays an important role, where the Ulema elaborate doctrine, discuss laws and make the doctrinal aggiornamento appropriate to modern times. To these purely religious structures must be added the conglomerate of religious brotherhoods of popular Islam, which are very numerous in Morocco and represent a real power of convocation; and the different families of the hieriphs descended from the Prophet's daughter, Fatima, married to the fourth caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib. The Muslim religious fabric in Morocco is therefore very large, and the future Emir of the Believers must maintain a very special relationship with it. The personal, ethical and moral qualities of the Crown Prince play an important role in his acceptance as Commander of the Believers.

In a word, to use a hackneyed phrase, "the succession is tied and well tied", with no surprises or palace intrigues. The only really interesting thing will be to see to what extent the future King will introduce new rules, in keeping with the times.