Muhammad VI, 1963–, king of Morocco (1999–), formerly Muhammad ben Al-Hassan, crown prince Sidi Muhammad. He studied at Muhammad V Univ., Rabat, where he received bachelor's (1985) and master's (1988) degrees in law, and at the Univ. of Nice, France, where he obtained (1993) his doctorate in law. In the 1990s, as the health of his father King Hassan II declined, the crown price assumed a greater role in the government. In 1994 he was promoted to general and became coordinator of the Royal Armed Forces, and in 1998 he initiated a wide-ranging antipoverty program. When Hassan died in 1999, the crown price succeeded him as Muhammad VI. More moderate than his father, he has made moves toward various social and economic improvements. In 2011, in response to demonstrations calling for political reform, he supported constitutional amendments that reduced his powers somewhat.
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