Belyout Bouchentouf

Political career

As Mayor of Casablanca for over 15 years (during the 1980s and 1990s) he had direct responsibility of the Kingdom's largest city. With a population of over 3 Million people, which represented well over 10% of the country's total population, he wielded considerable influence in the country. As mayor, he led many of the city's largest developments in infrastructure, education, athletics and cultural life.

He was instrumental in raising Casablanca's international profile, and spearheaded the initiative to make Casablanca Sister Cities with Chicago, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and many others. See Casablanca Sister Cities.

Belyout Bouchentouf was also a Member of Parliament in the Kingdom of Morocco.

Bouchentouf Family

Belyout Bouchentouf was born in Casablanca. His father Mohammed Bouchentouf was also born in Casablanca and was one of the founding members of the city as we know it today. Place Bouchentouf (Derb Bouchentouf in Arabic), which was founded by Belyout Bouchentouf's father in the 1890s, is a major neighborhood in downtown Casablanca with a population of over 100,000 people today.

Belyout Bouchentouf has 6 children.

Bouchentouf and the Royal Family of Morocco

In 1987, Her Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa, daughter of HRH King Hassan II and sister of the current HRH King Mohammed VI, married Belyout Bouchentouf's middle son. The marriage ceremony was attended by many dignitaries including HRH King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and other members of the Royal Families. As a member of the Royal Family of Morocco, he worked very closely with King Hassan II in instituting political and social reforms to improve the quality of life of citizens.

As the brother-in-law of King Hassan II, Belyout Bouchentouf was a close and trusted advisor on many key aspects of life in the Kingdom as well as affairs in the broader Middle East.