Muhammad VI (1963– )

King of Morocco from 1999. He succeeded the throne after the death of his father, Hassan II. As the 23rd king of the Alaouite Dynasty, whose reign started in the mid-17th century, Muhammad VI inherited a country riven by sharp economic and social divisions, with widespread unemployment and political repression. He promoted controlled political and social reform, including the release of thousands of political prisoners and strengthening the rights of women.

Educated at the Koranic school of the royal palace and university, Muhammad VI studied law and the political sciences. In 1988 he went to Brussels, Belgium, for several months' training under European Commission president Jacques Delors, and in 1993 secured a doctorate in law from Nice University, France, for a thesis on cooperation between the European Union and the Arab Maghreb Union.