Heir born to Moroccan throne
Published: 2003/05/08 16:57:07
Princess Salma Bennani, wife of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, has given
birth to a son, the royal palace has announced.
The baby boy, who is named Hassan after his grandfather Hassan II, is
the couple's first child.
Under the Moroccan constitution, the boy will be the chief heir to the
throne of the Moroccan kingdom, although King Mohammed can chose to
ordain any future male child as his heir.
The infant's arrival was greeted by a 21-gun salute in the Moroccan
royal palace.
To mark the birth the king ordered the release of more than 9,000
prisoners. It is not known whether any political activists were among
them. The king also reduced the sentences of almost 40,000 other
prisoners.
Prior to the birth, the country's capital, Rabat, was decorated with
flowers, lights and posters of the king.
Public squares outside the capital have also been prepared for
celebrations, AFP news agency reports.
Modern family
The king, who inherited the throne only hours after his father, King
Hassan II, died in July 1999, married 24-year-old computer engineer
Salma Bennani in a private ceremony in 2002.
The couple later held a lavish public ceremony to mark their nuptials,
in which 200 other couples from around the country were invited to get
married on the same day as the royal couple's celebrations.
In a break with tradition, the bride was given the title of "princess"
whereas in the past the wives of kings were referred to only as "mother
of the princes."
Many Moroccans have been pinning their hopes on their 39-year-old king
and his new family, the BBC's Stephanie Irvine reports.
They have been hoping for a new era of openness, modernity and
prosperity after the repressive reign of his father Hassan II.
However critics have been disappointed with what they say is a lack of
real progress in the three years since Mohammed VI came to the throne,
with little improvement in social conditions or democracy.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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