فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, chaired today, Sunday, October 19, 2025, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a ministerial council dedicated to discussing the general directions of the Finance Bill for the year 2026, approving draft regulatory laws and two draft decrees related to the military sector, in addition to a number of international agreements and appointments to senior positions.
At the beginning of the council, the Minister of Economy and Finance presented an overview of the main lines of the 2026 Finance Bill, based on His Majesty’s high royal directives outlined notably in the recent Throne Day and legislative year opening speeches. She emphasized that the project was prepared amid international uncertainty affecting global economic growth prospects. Nationally, the economy is expected to grow by 4.8% this year, supported by a revival in domestic demand and the vitality of the production fabric, especially in non-agricultural activities. Inflation was controlled at 1.1% by August 2025, with a sustained budget deficit of around 3.5% of GDP.
The 2026 Finance Bill is centered on four major priorities: consolidating economic gains by promoting private investment both national and foreign, accelerating the effective implementation of the Investment Charter, developing Morocco’s green hydrogen offering, continuously improving the business climate, strengthening innovative public-private partnerships, and diversifying financing sources. Special attention will be given to very small, small, and medium enterprises, key drivers of job creation, by activating new technical assistance and financial support mechanisms to create jobs and achieve territorial equity. Efforts will be intensified to integrate youth and women into the labor market, reduce drought impacts in rural employment, and continue supporting livestock breeders and restructuring the national herd.
The second priority focuses on launching a new generation of integrated territorial development programs by emphasizing local specificities, strengthening advanced regionalization and solidarity among territories. These will be prepared through broad consultation with territorial stakeholders, prioritizing youth employment creation, effective support to education and health sectors, and regional qualification. Special care will target the most vulnerable areas, particularly mountainous and oasis regions, sustainable coastal development, and expanding the national program for rising rural centers.
Following the royal directives, in 2026 the budget allocation for health and national education sectors will be enhanced to a total of about 140 billion dirhams, with over 27,000 new financial positions created for these sectors. Health sector efforts will include improving infrastructure by opening university hospital centers in Agadir and Laayoune, completing construction and equipping the Ibn Sina hospital in Rabat, continuing construction of university hospital centers in Beni Mellal, Guelmim, and Errachidia, and launching a rehabilitation and modernization process for 90 hospitals. Simultaneously, work will accelerate implementation of the educational reform roadmap through expanding early childhood education, strengthening schooling support services, and improving education quality.
The third priority is to continue consolidating the foundations of the social state through the royal rollout of universal social protection, direct social support programs for 4 million families, increasing monthly child benefits by 50 to 100 dirhams for the first three children, and activating support for orphaned and neglected children residing in social care institutions. Other components include expanding pension system enrollment, universalizing unemployment compensation, and continuing direct support programs for home ownership.
The fourth priority concerns continuing major structural reforms and preserving public finance balances. This includes reforming the organic law on the Finance Bill to embody a deep shift towards public policy governance focused on accountability and results, consolidating coordination and spatial localization of policy management. It will also accelerate public institutions and enterprises reform through restructuring their portfolio, improving productivity, strengthening investment efficiency based on balanced spatial distribution, and continuing judicial system reform to bring justice closer to citizens and improve the business climate.
After approving the general orientations of the Finance Bill for 2026, the council ratified four draft regulatory laws. Two concern the House of Representatives and political parties. The law related to the House of Representatives aims to ensure the integrity of the upcoming legislative elections, producing legitimate and trusted elites by fortifying access to the institution against disqualified individuals, enforcing strict exclusion for those caught in flagrante delicto during electoral offenses, and enhancing penalties to deter electoral violations. To encourage candidates under 35 years old to enter politics, it proposes reviewing and simplifying candidacy conditions, whether under party endorsement or not, and introducing significant financial incentives covering 75% of electoral campaign expenses. It also proposes dedicating regional electoral districts exclusively to women to support their presence in the legislature.
Regarding the political parties law, the project aims mainly to develop the legal framework regulating them, establish supportive rules to enhance women’s and youth participation in party formation, improve governance, and regulate finances and accounts, to upgrade party work to meet rapid societal changes.
The other two draft regulatory laws pertain to voluntary unconstitutionality pleas and amending the organic law of the Constitutional Court. The first stems from Article 133 of the Constitution granting the Constitutional Court authority to rule on objections by parties in cases alleging law unconstitutionality violating guaranteed rights and freedoms. This draft also considers prior court rulings deeming some provisions unconstitutional. The law concerning the Constitutional Court seeks to improve its performance and operational rules, including defining who may challenge election processes and results of court members elected by Parliament members, exempting the court from notifying election appeal decisions to involved parties, assigning this to the competent authority receiving candidacy declarations, and stipulating that members appointed or elected to replace others cannot be reappointed or reelected if their term exceeded three years.
Additionally, the council approved two draft decrees related to the military sector. The first pertains to the special statute for staff of the Directorate General of Information Systems Security at the Ministry of Defense, aiming particularly to establish a special statute enabling effective recruitment methods and appropriate incentive compensation for sensitive tasks assigned to them. The second decree involves modifying provisions regulating and managing the Royal School of Military Health, aligning it with legislative and regulatory texts related to national health system reform, allowing admitted candidates to benefit from the financial status granted to cadets at various military schools, and establishing a “Scientific Research Council” responsible for defining research themes and related activities.
To continue strengthening partnerships and cooperation relations with allied and friendly countries and enhance Morocco’s stature continentally and internationally, the council ratified 14 international agreements, including ten bilateral and four multilateral ones. The bilateral agreements cover judicial, military, social security cooperation, air services, mutual recognition of driving licenses, and double taxation avoidance. Multilateral agreements concern Morocco hosting permanent headquarters of the African Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions and the Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions in Africa, the London Protocol on rules for maritime passenger and luggage transport, and the Geneva Convention on updating seafarers’ identity documents.
In accordance with Article 49 of the Constitution and at the proposal of the Head of Government and the initiative of the Minister of Interior, His Majesty appointed a number of governors and prefects in territorial administration, including:
- Mr. Khatib Lahbil as Wali of Marrakech-Safi and Governor of Marrakech Prefecture;
- Mr. Khalid Ait Taleb as Wali of Fez-Meknes and Governor of Fez Prefecture;
- Mr. Mohamed Atfawi as Wali of the Oriental Region and Governor of Oujda-Angad Prefecture;
- Mr. Fouad Haji as Governor of Al Hoceima Province;
- Mr. Hassan Zitouni as Governor of Azilal Province;
- Mr. Sidi Saleh Daha as Governor of El Jadida Province;
- Mr. Abdelkhalek Marzouki as Governor of Casablanca-Anfa Prefecture;
- Mr. Mohamed Alami Weddane as Governor of Zagora Province;
- Mr. Mustafa Al-Ma’zza as Governor of Al Haouz Province;
- Mr. Rachid Benchikhi as Governor of Taza Province;
- Mr. Mohamed Zaher as Governor of Inezgan-Aït Melloul Prefecture;
- Mr. Mohamed Khalfawi as Governor of Al Fahs-Anjra Province;
- Mr. Zakaria Hashlaf as Governor of Chefchaouen Province;
- Mr. Abdelaziz Zerouali as Governor of Sidi Kacem Province;
- Mr. Abdelkarim Al-Ghannami as Governor of Taounate Province.
On the proposal of the Head of Government and initiative of the Minister of Economy and Finance, His Majesty appointed Mr. Tariq Al-Senhaji as President of the Moroccan Capital Market Authority.
This ministerial council marks an important step to enhance economic and social development and institutional stability, in line with royal strategies aimed at propelling Morocco toward greater progress and prosperity.
