Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid (; born 1947) is a Moroccan Sahrawi politician currently serving as mayor of

Laâyoune Laâyoune ( , also , ) or El Aaiún ( , ; Hassaniya Arabic: , romanized: ; ber, ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, Leɛyun; ar, label=Modern Standard Arabic, Literary Arabic, العيون, al-ʿUyūn/el-ʿUyūn, lit=The Spring (hydrology), Springs) is the la ...

and president of the communal council of Laâyoune since 2006 under the banner of the

Istiqlal Party The Istiqlal Party ( ar, حزب الإستقلال, translit=Ḥizb Al-Istiqlāl, lit=Independence Party; french: Parti Istiqlal; zgh, ⴰⴽⴰⴱⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵉⵙⵜⵉⵇⵍⴰⵍ) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and ...

. Ould Errachid also serves as a parlementarian representing the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra constituency. He is a member of the central bureau of the party, where he coordinates the three Southern Provinces and chairs multiple local associations in Laayoune.

Early life and education

Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid was born in 1947 in a tent near

within the Reguibat tribe. His father, a respected herdsman in the tribe, was a veteran of a tribal revolt against France during their conquest of Morocco in 1937. He is the brother of

Khalihenna Ould Errachid Khalihenna Ould-Errachid ( ar, خلي هنا ولد الرشيد; ''Khalihuna Walad Al-Rashid'') is a Sahrawi Moroccan politician. He is the president of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS), a Moroccan government body supp ...

Career and views

After the Green March, Ould Errachid was recruited into the Ministry of Interior in 1977, where he was a

caïd Qaid ( ar , قائد ', "commander"; pl. '), also spelled kaid or caïd, is a word meaning "commander" or "leader." It was a title in the Norman kingdom of Sicily, applied to palatine officials and members of the ''curia'', usually to those ...

for a district of Laayoune. He was elected as a parliamentarian during the

2002 Moroccan general election General elections were held in Morocco on 27 September 2002. The elections were the first since King Mohammed VI of Morocco had come to the throne in 1999 and international observers saw it as a test of his commitment to democracy. The election ...

under the banner of the

. In 2006, he became the president of the communal council of Laâyoune. Following his election, he expressed his interest in carrying out major projects and improving the socio-economic development of the region. Under Ould Errachid's tenure as mayor of Laâyoune, the city underwent a "metamorphosis" over the past fifteen years which he has credited to the New Development Model for the Southern Provinces led by King

Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to: * Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902 * Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922 * Mohammed VI of Morocco Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس ...

. In 2010, he spoke to the French Senate regarding the twinning of Laayoune with European cities and investment opportunities. In 2023, he signed a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

agreement between Laayoune and the city of

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

in partnership with

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities"� ...

in hopes of improving local government cooperation, trade, cultural ties, and understanding.

References

{{reflist 1947 births People from Laayoune Istiqlal Party politicians Sahrawi politicians Sahrawi political people Sahrawi Muslims Living people