In the shadow of Morocco’s largest football stadium, still under construction, a very different conversation is taking shape in Mediouna: one about tap water, potholed roads and a struggling local clinic. That was the thrust of remarks delivered on Thursday by Yassine Oukacha, a member of the political bureau of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), during a packed party gathering in Benslimane province, not far from the site earmarked to host matches during the 2030 World Cup.
Addressing a large crowd, Oukacha, who also chairs the rural council of Maleine Ouad, acknowledged the pride residents feel at hosting such a landmark sporting venue. Yet he was quick to note that stadium prestige cannot substitute for basic services. He pointed to unresolved needs including drinking-water access for neighborhoods bordering the stadium site, road rehabilitation across the district, and support for the health center in Sidi Btache, arguing that employment, healthcare, education and rural transport must keep pace with headline infrastructure projects.
His comments came shortly after remarks attributed to Fouzi Lekjaa, a senior figure at Morocco’s football federation and a fellow RNI official, underscoring an internal party conversation about balancing sporting ambition with grassroots delivery. Oukacha held up his own commune, Maleine Ouad, as evidence that smaller rural councils can deliver visible change, citing a series of local projects launched in recent months, from water supply lines to rural roads and support for nearby clinics, as a model for other emerging municipalities.
On the political front, Oukacha reaffirmed the RNI’s mobilization ahead of the September 23 legislative elections, urging rival parties to compete on the strength of programs and track records rather than personal attacks. Officials from the party, often nicknamed the « dove party » after its emblem, have in recent weeks stepped up local outreach across several provinces, seeking to translate their national message of economic stability into tangible, community-level commitments.
The Mediouna meeting was one of several such gatherings RNI cadres have held nationwide in the run-up to the vote, as parties across the political spectrum sharpen their pitch to voters less than two weeks before Moroccans head to the polls in what is shaping up to be a closely contested legislative race.
