Four years after taking the helm of Morocco's government in October 2021 and with less than a year to go before the legislative elections, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has become the target of public anger. Young protesters – 70% of whom are minors, according to the Interior Ministry – have been demanding his resignation since September 27, frustrated by the high cost of living, endemic unemployment, and the failures of public education and healthcare.

This unprecedented movement, the largest since the 2016 protests in the Rif region, began in Agadir after the deaths of eight women who underwent cesarean sections in a local hospital. Although Akhannouch serves as mayor of Agadir, he did not attend the city council's budget vote on Monday, October 6, a departure from his usual routine.

The prime minister, who heads the National Rally of Independents (RNI, a center-right political party closely aligned with the royal family), has come to symbolize the country's two-tiered system. He is also the heir to a vast business empire spanning oil, real estate, tourism and media, making him one of the wealthiest people in Morocco, with an estimated fortune of $1.6 billion (€1.4 billion), according to Forbes in 2024.

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