Hassan II of Morocco Hassan dissolved Parliament and ruled directly, although he did not abolish the mechanisms of parliamentary democracy. When elections were eventually held, they were mostly rigged in favour of loyal parties. This caused severe discontent among the opposition, and protest demonstrations and riots challenged the King's rule. A US report observed that "Hassan appears obsessed with the preservation of his power rather than with its application toward the resolution of Morocco's multiplying domestic problems." In the early 1970s, King Hassan survived two assassination attempts. The first, in 1971, was a coup d'état attempt allegedly supported by Libya, organized by General Mohamed
Mohamed Medbouh was achieved without difficulty. He became governor of Casablanca and then Minister of Posts. King Hassan II succeeded to the throne on 26 February 1961. Medbouh was made the king's chief aide-de-camp. In July 1963 an alleged plot by the leftist National Union of Popular Forces party to kill the king in his bed was foiled. The plotters were said to have obtained detailed plans of the palace from Major Mohamed Medbouh, although Medbouh was not implicated. He was made head of the Royal Military Cabinet in 1967. He often went riding with Hassan II, or played golf with him.