{"id":5047,"date":"2026-10-18T14:59:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T14:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/?p=5047"},"modified":"2026-10-18T14:59:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T14:59:15","slug":"mohamed-daoudi-reads-the-government-from-laayoune-political-representation-in-moroccos-southern-provinces-and-the-test-of-reform-in-moroccan-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/mohamed-daoudi-reads-the-government-from-laayoune-political-representation-in-moroccos-southern-provinces-and-the-test-of-reform-in-moroccan-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Mohamed Daoudi Reads the Government from Laayoune: Political Representation in Morocco\u2019s Southern Provinces and the Test of Reform in Moroccan Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><em>A journalistic and analytical reading of the intervention by Mohamed Daoudi, sports activist and human rights advocate, published on October 18, 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Government Representation Under the Test of Electoral Participation<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The intervention by Mohamed Daoudi, a sports activist and human rights advocate from Laayoune, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco\u2019s southern provinces, is not simply a local grievance. Through his reading of the new government configuration, he raises a broader question: what is the relationship between citizens\u2019 political participation and their ability to be represented within the centres of executive decision-making?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In his video published on October 18, 2026, under the title <em>\u201cA Little Politics, A Little Sport: What Awaits the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport,\u201d<\/em> Daoudi discusses electoral participation, which he regards as an indication of the commitment of citizens in the southern provinces to national public life. He refers to the presence of political parties in the region during the election campaign, the rallies held there and the electoral weight secured by several parties participating in the governing majority. He then raises the question that lies at the heart of his argument: why, in his assessment, has this electoral and political presence not translated into government representation commensurate with expectations?<\/p>\n<div class=\"xb57i2i x1q594ok x5lxg6s x78zum5 xdt5ytf x6ikm8r x1ja2u2z x1pq812k x1rohswg xfk6m8 x1yqm8si xjx87ck xx8ngbg xwo3gff x1n2onr6 x1oyok0e x1odjw0f x1iyjqo2 xy5w88m\">\n<div class=\"x78zum5 xdt5ytf x1iyjqo2 x1n2onr6 xaci4zi x129vozr\">\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x78zum5 xdt5ytf x1iyjqo2 x7ywyr2\">\n<div class=\"x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x9f619 x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xyamay9\">\n<div class=\"x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x1iyjqo2 x2lwn1j\">\n<div class=\"x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xf7dkkf xv54qhq x1k70j0n xzueoph xzboxd6 x14l7nz5\">\n<div class=\"x6s0dn4 xal61yo x1obq294 x5a5i1n xde0f50 x15x8krk x78zum5 xdt5ytf x6ikm8r x10wlt62 x1n2onr6 xh8yej3\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"xl1xv1r\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1410755467412187%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0\" width=\"267\" height=\"476\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The significance of this question does not lie in the assumption that a region recording high electoral participation should automatically receive a ministerial portfolio. Government formation involves multiple parliamentary, political and institutional considerations. Democratic representation does not operate through an automatic system of regional quotas. Nevertheless, when official figures confirm substantial participation, that participation legitimately strengthens the debate over representation and citizens\u2019 ability to influence public policy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The question therefore extends beyond the composition of the government. It concerns the potential distance between votes cast, responsibilities assigned and decisions that shape citizens\u2019 daily lives.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Morocco\u2019s Southern Provinces: From Electoral Presence to the Formation of Political Elites<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daoudi does not confine his analysis to the absence of figures from the southern provinces in the government composition he examines. He also considers a deeper problem: the formation and renewal of political elites capable of assuming national responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to his assessment, certain party practices have increasingly taken on a seasonal character, marked by intense mobilisation before elections followed by a decline in sustained political engagement at the local level. If this diagnosis holds true in particular cases, the problem extends beyond ministerial appointments. It raises questions about the mechanisms through which political leaders are developed: training, public debate, policy development, leadership renewal and the preparation of new generations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Political representation does not begin when a government is announced. It develops beforehand, within local party structures, elected councils, associations, professional organisations and spaces where young people and women can gain experience and access positions of responsibility.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When these mechanisms operate intermittently, electoral participation risks becoming disconnected from the ability to influence public decisions over the longer term. A region may be heavily courted during election campaigns without its local talent subsequently having sufficiently open pathways into national leadership.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This question carries particular significance in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, where territorial development, citizen participation, parallel diplomacy and the defence of Morocco\u2019s territorial integrity intersect. Daoudi refers to people from the region who contribute to advocacy for the national cause abroad in political, cultural and economic fields. His intention is to underline that the issue cannot simply be reduced to an alleged lack of local talent. It must also concern the mechanisms that allow existing expertise to translate into institutional responsibility.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">An important distinction remains necessary: the absence of a figure from a particular region in a government does not, by itself, prove deliberate exclusion. Nor can criticism of party organisation be generalised without specific evidence. A more rigorous assessment would examine candidate selection, leadership renewal, the presence of local expertise within party structures, continuity of grassroots work, and access to positions of responsibility for young people and women.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The question also extends to local institutions, universities, professional organisations and civil society. Do they offer genuine pathways for developing a new generation of leaders? Is a political figure\u2019s value measured by the ability to mobilise voters during a campaign, or by the capacity to generate ideas, initiatives and programmes that remain active after the election?<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">National Unity Does Not Rule Out Debate on Representation<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daoudi is careful to frame his concern as a national issue rather than a narrow regional demand. This distinction is essential to understanding his argument. He connects the question of representation to the broader national context, to what he considers an important stage in the Moroccan Sahara issue, and to the contribution of people from the southern provinces to defending the national cause.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The debate over political fairness is not incompatible with national unity. It can, in fact, help strengthen it. Equal citizenship does not require questions about the distribution of responsibilities to remain unanswered. Likewise, raising these questions does not automatically imply a closed or separatist regional outlook. The decisive factors are the substance of the demand, the evidence supporting it and the objectives it seeks to achieve.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daoudi also warns of the possibility that the issue could be exploited by voices hostile to Morocco or taken out of its national context. Such vigilance, however, should not lead to the closure of the debate itself. Responsible journalism must guard against political exploitation without depriving citizens of their right to question public institutions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Political parties and the government therefore face a dual responsibility: not to reduce the southern provinces to their electoral mobilisation during campaigns, and not to reduce the debate on representation to the number of ministers originating from the region. The more substantive question is whether political participation translates into better public services, employment opportunities, productive investment and greater access to responsibility for local talent.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daoudi Turns to Sport: Changing the Minister or Changing the Method?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the second half of his intervention, Daoudi turns to the future of Moroccan sport. This shift does not break with his political analysis. Instead, it reveals his view that sports governance is a practical test of the government\u2019s ability to turn reformist intentions into measurable decisions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He discusses the appointment of Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid to lead the department responsible for youth, culture and sport, and regards the separation of sport from the previous ministerial configuration as a step in the right direction. But he does not treat the institutional change as an achievement in itself. Its value depends on what follows: whether the new minister can address outstanding issues, accelerate necessary decisions and move beyond repeating diagnoses that have already been established.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The change in government structure is therefore a starting point. It becomes meaningful reform only if responsibilities are more clearly defined, decisions are taken more efficiently and relations between the ministry and sports federations become more transparent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daoudi does not portray the new minister as someone entering an entirely unfamiliar sector. He points to the existing administrative directorates, legal services, professional staff and accumulated institutional experience. His comparison is that of an established case whose problems have already been diagnosed. The central question is whether the authorities will move from recognising the problems to actually resolving them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The test is practical: will success be measured by the number of meetings, statements and committees announced, or by the files resolved, deadlines respected and results visible on the ground? Which problems can be addressed by applying existing legislation, and which genuinely require legislative reform?<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Funding Sports Federations: Transparency Before the Numbers<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the main concerns raised by Daoudi is the allocation of public funding to sports federations. He refers to approximately 56 or 57 federations, describes differing institutional circumstances and questions the criteria used to distribute financial support. These figures and assessments must remain attributed to him until they are checked against an updated official inventory.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The issue is not simply the total amount of funding available. It concerns the logic governing its distribution. When sporting activity benefits from public money, citizens should be able to understand why one federation receives more than another, how funded programmes are evaluated and whether the resources produce broader participation, better coaching and measurable results.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The work of Morocco\u2019s Economic, Social and Environmental Council provides relevant context. Its study of national sports policy found that the national sports strategy for 2020 had not achieved its expected objectives. Among the obstacles identified were difficulties in implementing the legal framework, weaknesses in institutional governance and limitations in human and financial resources. The Council recommended rational criteria for allocating subsidies, stronger federation governance and improved monitoring and evaluation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">These findings intersect with the question raised by Daoudi, but they do not justify accusing any particular federation or asserting favouritism without specific evidence. They do support a demand for greater transparency: publication of eligibility criteria, funding linked to stated objectives, access to financial and activity reports in accordance with legal obligations, and evaluation of results against the resources committed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Medal counts alone cannot provide an adequate measure of a federation\u2019s performance. Some disciplines require substantial investment, while others must first build their participation base. Some federations need to expand grassroots activity and train coaches and referees; others are assessed on international performance. Fair allocation does not necessarily mean identical funding. It means transparent criteria that account for each discipline\u2019s needs, objectives, achievements and development potential.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The test for the new minister is whether public funding will become an instrument for developing the entire sports system, rather than a recurring debate limited to annual budget allocations. Will funding criteria be made public? Will evaluation results be accessible? Will identified shortcomings lead to proportionate corrective measures consistent with the law?<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Law 30-09: Between Legislation and Implementation<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daoudi also addresses the legal framework governing Moroccan sport, particularly Law No. 30-09 on physical education and sport. He argues that certain provisions of the law and standard statutes should be reconsidered, while insisting that the sector cannot afford further delays.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The issue, however, goes beyond amending a legal text. Adopted in 2010, Law 30-09 established a framework for organising sporting activity, defining federation responsibilities and setting principles relating to governance, financial transparency and the publication of reports. It also regulates, where applicable, the organisation of sporting competitions and events through requirements concerning authorisation, insurance and compliance with the relevant rules.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The existence of these provisions does not mean that every dysfunction originates in the law itself. A distinction must be made between legislation that has become inadequate, an existing provision that is not properly enforced, an administration that does not fully use its available powers, and a federation that fails to meet its statutory obligations. Confusing these levels may produce legislative reform that leaves the underlying problem unresolved.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Economic, Social and Environmental Council has identified difficulties in applying sports legislation, gaps in implementing regulations and weaknesses in monitoring mechanisms as obstacles to the implementation of sports policy. It has recommended a review of the legal framework in consultation with stakeholders, an integrated information system to evaluate the impact of sports policies, and stronger governance at both central and territorial levels.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daoudi\u2019s call for the effective application of the law should therefore be understood as a demand for clear responsibilities and deadlines, not merely an invitation to draft new legislation. Within its legal remit, the ministry is responsible for support, monitoring and verification of compliance. Federations remain responsible for their management and for respecting their statutes. Disputes and potential irregularities must be addressed through the competent mechanisms, with due respect for the rights of all parties.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The operational question is straightforward: should the process begin with a comprehensive revision of the law, or with an inventory of provisions that have not been fully implemented and the obstacles preventing their application? Which measures can be taken administratively during the first months, and which require broader legislative consultation?<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Federation Presidents and the Administration: The Test of Continuity and Accountability<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daoudi also raises the question of the relationship between the new minister and sports federation presidents, some of whom have accumulated considerable experience dealing with successive governments and administrations. The new minister, in his assessment, inherits established practices, institutional relationships and ways of operating.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A leader\u2019s length of service is not, in itself, evidence of dysfunction. Continuity can be an asset when it rests on experience, competence and verifiable results. It becomes a legitimate subject of scrutiny when working methods fail to evolve or when performance cannot be assessed transparently.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The relationship between the ministry and federations should therefore be governed by clear commitments rather than personal proximity or political affinity. This requires examining programmes, financial commitments, activity reports, results and compliance with statutes. Where an irregularity is established, it should be addressed through the prescribed procedures rather than through prior judgements about individuals.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Public policy on sports governance has also emphasised evaluating support in relation to performance, registered participation, youth development, sporting results and contributions to social inclusion. It has highlighted the value of diversifying resources through partnerships, sponsorship and broadcasting rights.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">These principles offer a basis for action, but their credibility depends on consistent implementation. Will the same criteria be applied across federations? Will evaluation results make funding decisions understandable? Will corrective mechanisms be available before difficulties become entrenched?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reform requires an administration capable of following cases through to completion, reliable data, performance indicators, announced deadlines and clearly assigned responsibilities. It also requires an institutional relationship that protects the autonomy of the sports movement without turning that autonomy into a reason to avoid scrutiny of public spending or compliance with the law.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Can Moroccan Sport Be Reduced to Football?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the clearest warnings in Daoudi\u2019s intervention concerns the risk of reducing national sports policy to football. He hopes that the prominence of football in public debate will not lead to the marginalisation of other disciplines.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The issue extends beyond media visibility. A sports policy dominated by one discipline can influence funding priorities, infrastructure investment and the opportunities available to young people. It can also restrict other sports\u2019 ability to develop champions, train technical staff and attract commercial partners.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Economic, Social and Environmental Council has highlighted the importance of school and university sport, accessible local infrastructure, stronger federations and associations, and the development of the sports economy. It has also emphasised the links between sport, health, education, social cohesion and economic opportunity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This approach brings the discussion back to a fundamental social question: who actually benefits from sports policy? Are resources and opportunities concentrated in the most visible disciplines, or does the system allow children, young people, women, people with disabilities and citizens across all regions to participate and progress?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sport is not limited to medals or major international events. It is also a space for education, discipline and health, a pathway to training and employment, and sometimes an opportunity for young people who have few other routes to social inclusion. When infrastructure, coaching and funding are sustainable, sport becomes part of social and economic development rather than a secondary activity whose importance rises before major competitions and then fades.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Morocco\u2019s southern provinces, this question carries an additional dimension. Expanding participation, supporting local associations, providing training and competition facilities, and involving young people in sustainable sports projects can contribute to territorial development. Their impact, however, must be assessed through data on facilities, beneficiaries, funding and geographical distribution rather than general statements of intent.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">From Diagnosis to a Measurable Programme<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the end of his intervention, Mohamed Daoudi expresses the hope that separating sport from other government sectors will have a positive impact on Moroccan sport. He links that expectation to the new minister\u2019s ability to draw on existing administrative experience, take practical decisions and stop postponing issues that can be addressed under the current legal framework.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The journalistic value of his intervention lies in bringing together two questions that may appear separate but converge around governance: who participates in political decision-making, and how are the institutions responsible for implementing public policy managed?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the first case, Daoudi questions the relationship between electoral participation, government representation and the formation of political elites. In the second, he examines the relationship between budgets and results, legislation and enforcement, administrative responsibility and accountability.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">These questions do not, by themselves, constitute a definitive judgement on the new government or the sports federations. They identify areas requiring evidence-based scrutiny and move the discussion from impressions towards facts and measurable indicators. The absence of representatives from the southern provinces calls for an examination of political representation pathways. Differences in sports funding require budgetary data. A proposed revision of the law requires identification of the provisions whose implementation has exposed limitations or difficulties.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The discussion could be translated into a programme of work open to public scrutiny: an inventory of outstanding legal issues, publication of funding criteria, evaluation of supported programmes, deadlines for addressing shortcomings, and the development of sports training at the territorial level, alongside access to the data needed to measure progress.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ultimately, the new phase will not be judged solely by its ability to produce a different discourse. It will be judged by its ability to change the way institutions operate. That is the challenge Mohamed Daoudi\u2019s intervention places before public officials, sports stakeholders, political parties and society: to turn political participation into meaningful representation, public funding into measurable outcomes, the law into a common standard, and sport into a field open to all disciplines, regions and social groups.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The questions he leaves open are those the institutions must answer. How can political leaders worthy of voters\u2019 trust be developed? How can fairness in the distribution of responsibilities and resources be secured without turning it into an automatic quota system? What will the new minister deliver during the first months to demonstrate that the change in government structure can make a tangible difference? And will reform be measured by the number of announced decisions, or by the changes actually experienced by athletes, associations and young people?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is the central contribution of Mohamed Daoudi\u2019s intervention: it invites the public to look beyond the names in a new government and examine the institutions that produce decisions, the mechanisms that allocate resources, and the responsibilities that must remain open to evaluation and accountability.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Verification note: Observations on government representation, party organisation, sports funding, Law 30-09 and the risk of reducing sport to football are attributed to Mohamed Daoudi where they originate in his intervention. His estimates concerning the number of federations and his assessments of funding arrangements require comparison with updated official documents. The absence of a person originating from the southern provinces in the government does not, by itself, establish deliberate exclusion.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A journalistic and analytical reading of the intervention by Mohamed Daoudi, sports activist and human rights advocate, published on October 18, 2026. Government Representation Under the Test of Electoral Participation The intervention by Mohamed Daoudi, a sports activist and human rights advocate from Laayoune, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco\u2019s southern provinces, is not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,43,42,41,76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africa","category-asia-americas","category-europe-russia","category-middle-east","category-the-maghreb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5047"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5049,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047\/revisions\/5049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}