Each week, RNI party members will visit three Moroccan cities to ask citizens for their ideas on public policy in their city.
Rabat – Morocco’s National Rally of Independents (RNI) party has begun a campaign called “100 Days for 100 Cities.” The campaign is a learning expedition to take the temperature of RNI party members in Morocco’s cities and hear their opinions on how to move the party forward.
The campaign will reach beyond Morocco’s largest cities. Aziz Akhannouch, the head of the RNI party, launched the 100 Days campaign on Saturday, November 2, in Demnat. The town, located in central Morocco at the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, is home to a population of 23,000, according to 2004 figures.
At the launch, Akhannouch praised the “selflessness” and “sacrifices” of RNI party members in Demnat. He also told the audience, “We are aware that each city has its specific problems.”
RNI party members will meet locals in three different cities each week to get a better understanding of each city or town’s priorities. To meet its target, the campaign will continue for longer than a literal interpretation would imply as it is not set to end until July 2020.
The party will be asking citizens their ideas for how to improve public services, such as health and education, in the run-up to the 2021 elections in Morocco. RNI is also looking to learn about the investment, economic, and sustainability conditions in each city.
Akhannouch called the launch of the campaign “a new milestone” in creating good public policy.
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Aziz Akhannouch, as the minister of agriculture, is a member of the cabinet of Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani. He has retained his post through multiple government reshuffles.
Akhannouch is also one of the wealthiest men in Morocco, owning a majority share in the Akwa Group business conglomerate his father started. Forbes has listed Akhannouch as the 13th wealthiest person in Africa in 2019.
The RNI party is one of Morocco’s most influential political parties. In the 2016 elections, RNI won 37 of the 395 seats in Parliament, making it the party with the fourth most seats.