The Istiqlal Party launched its election campaign in Laayoune on Sunday, October 13, with more than 60,000 party members attending a major rally at the Exhibition Platform near the city’s Grand Model Market.
The event brought together Secretary-General Nizar Baraka, Executive Committee member and local candidate Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid and several senior party figures to present the party’s priorities and election program.
In his address, Baraka said the next government would make the implementation of autonomy a priority, based on what he described as the “historic” UN Security Council Resolution 2797. He also stressed that the next government would “not be a government for the World Cup,” as the party campaigns under the slogan “My country... my future.”
Ould Errachid focused on unemployment and job creation, presenting the party’s plans to create employment opportunities for young people across different sectors in the region. He also expressed his readiness to help young people find jobs at the OCP Group.
On higher education, Ould Errachid said he would defend the creation of a university in Laayoune, alongside existing institutions including the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Faculty of Dentistry.
He also called for a final decision on taxation, arguing that Laayoune and the Sahara are already exempt from taxes. He said this should help encourage investors and attract further investment to the region.
The large turnout at the rally came as the Istiqlal Party steps up its campaign in the region ahead of the elections. The region has traditionally recorded some of the country’s highest voter turnout rates during elections.
The campaign launch also comes as preparations continue for the implementation of autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2727.
