When a devastating earthquake shook Morocco's High Atlas mountains on Sept. 8, residents of poor areas where it struck turned for help to the state and the man who leads it, King Mohammed VI.
Yet the monarch, with his sweeping power, has kept a low profile, making just three appearances since then. He chaired two emergency response meetings with officials in Rabat and visited a hospital in Marrakech, near the disaster zone, where he gave blood after a nationwide appeal for donors.
He has been softer on dissent than his father, Hassan II, and he has pursued economic reforms that have attracted foreign investors and expanded the industrial base, making the kingdom an economic powerhouse in Africa. A government source said Morocco had institutions and civil society groups capable of acting without orders from the palace.
Moroccan media, meanwhile, avoids critical coverage of sensitive topics, such as any decision announced by the king. Meanwhile, Forbes ranked the king in 2015 among Africa's richest men, with personal wealth valued at more than $5 billion. Since he took the throne, the royal holding company Almada has expanded its investments, which include stakes in mining, banking, retail, renewable energy and telecoms ventures in Morocco and across Africa.Mohammed's public appearances have become more infrequent during his reign, mainly limited to a handful of annual, ceremonial events.
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