Morocco turns its clocks back to GMT after eight years
The government ended permanent “summer time” after a petition signed by more than 340,000 people.
Key points
- Morocco changed its official time from GMT+1 to GMT (UTC+0) at 02:00 on 20 September 2026 and stopped observing daylight saving time.
- It ends the permanent GMT+1 system in place since 2018, which critics said disrupted school schedules and winter mornings.
- Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch said the decision responded to citizens’ demands; a petition gathered more than 340,000 signatures.
Morocco turned its clocks back one hour for good on 20 September 2026. At 02:00 that morning, the country returned to GMT (UTC+0) as its legal time and stopped observing daylight saving time.
Why the change
Since 2018, Morocco had used GMT+1 for most of the year, returning to GMT only during Ramadan. Critics said the permanent "summer time" disrupted school schedules and forced children and workers out into dark winter mornings.
"The Daylight Saving Time system created several challenges for many citizens, so we decided to respond to demands by returning to Morocco's legal time, or GMT," Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch said. A widely shared petition had gathered more than 340,000 signatures.
What it means
Morocco is now on the same time as the United Kingdom in winter and one hour behind Spain and France. Supporters say mornings will be lighter and better aligned with daily life; some businesses had preferred GMT+1 for working hours that match Europe.
Why it matters
It is a rare example of a policy changed in direct response to a public campaign, in the same month that Moroccans went to the polls in a general election.
Sources
Spotted an error? Read our corrections policy or tell us.
