Despite earlier predictions of a decrease in fuel prices, Morocco diesel and gasoline costs spiked by 20 centimes (cents) per liter, local media reported.
Diesel prices reached MAD 11.74 per liter, and gasoline hit MAD 13.38 per liter at some stations around the Kingdom.
Friday’s price spikes exceeded those before the deregulation of fuel prices in 2015, said Houcine El Yamani, Secretary-General of the National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers and head of the National Front to Save the Moroccan Refinery (SAMIR).
He told reporters that pricing policies are in the hands of industry stakeholders, confirming the worries of Moroccans who believe fuel prices are inflated. Yamani argued that prices could have been lower if the liberalization had not occurred.
The official highlighted that diesel prices have risen by more than MAD 1.5 per liter and gasoline by over MAD 2 per liter. To curb the price increases, El Yamani suggested returning to government subsidies, reducing taxes on fuel, and reviving Morocco’s oil refining industry through the Mohammedia refinery.
Yamani criticized the deregulation of fuel prices for significantly driving up the cost of living, adding that government measures, such as direct subsidies and wage increases, have failed to alleviate the burden of high prices on citizens.