As fuel prices surge, calls mount to cap costs, protect Moroccans’ purchasing power

After fuel prices surged sharply on Monday, calls are mounting to protect Moroccan citizens’ purchasing power by capping costs and shielding them from companies that raise prices whenever they want.

With gasoline and diesel up by two dirhams per liter, concerns are growing that the unexpected rise will push up the prices of other consumer goods.

Abdelghani Erraqi, member of the National Front to Save the Moroccan Oil Refinery, told Hespress AR that the fuel price hike is neither new nor surprising, calling it “unjustified, given national and global reserves should prevent such sharp increases.”

He noted that the situation was expected since prices are no longer capped and the state no longer intervenes, adding that “the price liberalization under the previous government is what we are still paying for across sectors, goods, and services.”

Erraqi warned that Moroccans will feel the impact in the coming days, with rising costs threatening social stability.

He called on authorities to cap prices, protect citizens’ purchasing power, and restart the Samir refinery to absorb such increases.

Abdelillah Al Khadri, head of the Moroccan Human Rights Center, said that the repeated rise in fuel prices in Morocco “has become a major concern for citizens, especially given how quickly prices jump at the slightest news of international tensions or potential global oil price increases, often before these affect the national market.”

He criticized the fact that these price hikes “are applied almost immediately, often before they actually affect the national market, even though national reserves could help protect against global price swings.”

Al Khadri stressed that capping fuel prices is more necessary than ever, or at least strict oversight should guarantee genuine transparency in price setting and block any exploitation of international conditions or speculation for unjustified profits at citizens’ expense.

He urged the government and authorities, including the Competition Council, to fully monitor the market, enforce rules, and protect citizens’ purchasing power.