Rabat, Morocco – The Moroccan government has announced its return to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) at the end of this summer.
This ends the practice of adding an hour to the country’s official time, which was in place year-round except during Ramadan. The entire system directly affects Morocco residents annually.
The decision came in response to growing demands and complaints from citizens living in Morocco.
A government decision in response to citizens
Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch stated that the decision to revert
to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) followed a series of government meetings and consultations about Morocco and its future time policies.
He emphasized that the move aims to respond to citizens’ demands and better align with their daily needs, especially in Morocco’s cities.
He added that the government took into account the complaints citizens had voiced across Morocco
in recent years regarding the permanent adoption of daylight saving time.
He also noted that the decision reflects the authorities’ commitment to considering the social aspects related to timekeeping in Morocco.
Popular demands to abolish daylight saving time
The past few months have witnessed a surge in calls to abolish permanent daylight saving time.
Civil society organizations launched an online petition last March demanding a return to the Kingdom’s original time.
These groups argued that adding an hour to the official time places additional burdens on citizens and disrupts their daily lives,
particularly during winter when students and employees are forced to leave home before sunrise, especially in Morocco’s northern and rural regions.
health and social concerns
Supporters of abolishing daylight saving time pointed out that its continued use caused health and psychological problems for some groups in Morocco,
especially children and students, due to disrupted sleep-wake cycles during school and work hours under Morocco’s previous time policy.
In recent years, Morocco had adopted daylight saving time year-round, with the exception of Ramadan.
However, ongoing public debate about its effects prompted the government to reconsider its time policy for Morocco.
The new decision is expected to take effect at the end of summer.
With this, the country of Morocco will officially revert to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as its standard time year-round.
