He skipped the formal podium and went straight to social media. As the official handover ceremony was taking place on Saturday at the Prime Minister’s office in Rabat, outgoing head of government Aziz Akhannouch posted a farewell message to the public, closing out five years in charge of Morocco’s executive and handing the reins to his successor, Fatima Zahra Mansouri.
The message struck a tone that was formal but personal. Akhannouch opened by thanking King Mohammed VI for his royal trust and wise guidance, then turned to everyone, in his words, who had contributed to what he called five years of work. Rather than reel off a list of figures, he framed the period as a shared journey: this was not simply a responsibility we carried, but a historic path we walked together, hand in hand, to build a stronger and better Morocco, he wrote.
He did not pretend the term had been easy. Akhannouch pointed to difficult challenges and what he described as exceptional circumstances, without spelling them out, while crediting a united team and the King’s direction for pushing major, long-delayed projects affecting millions of citizens over the finish line. One line carried the weight of the whole message: our conscience is at ease, because we worked in the country’s interest with complete dedication and sincerity. He also acknowledged, in the same breath, that some goals remained unfinished.
The farewell closed on a forward-looking note rather than a scorecard. Akhannouch said he was handing this trust to Fatima Zahra Mansouri, wishing her and the incoming cabinet success in their duties so that Morocco’s development path could continue. He ended by invoking national unity under the King’s leadership.
The handover follows days of ministerial consultations and appointments, against a political backdrop in which observers are watching closely for signs of continuity on major economic and social files. By publishing his own words at the exact moment of the ceremony, rather than waiting for official statements to filter through, Akhannouch appeared intent on closing this chapter on his own terms, just as attention shifts fully to the Mansouri government and its first moves.
