Morocco appoints first female prime minister

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first female prime minister and directed her to form a new government.

The appointment came after the September 23 parliamentary election, in which El Mansouri’s Authenticity and Modernity Party, PAM, won the highest number of seats in the 395-member House of Representatives.

The Royal Palace announced the appointment on Tuesday, saying the King received El Mansouri at the Royal Palace in Rabat before naming her head of government in line with the country’s constitution.

PAM secured 97 seats in the election, followed by the National Rally of Independents with 66 seats and the Istiqlal Party with 65. The outcome means El Mansouri will have to negotiate with other parties to assemble a coalition government.

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Morocco operates a constitutional monarchy under which the King retains substantial powers. The constitution provides that the monarch appoints the head of government from the political party that obtains the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives.

El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer who previously served as mayor of Marrakech. She also held the position of minister responsible for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy in the outgoing administration.

Her appointment makes her the first woman to head Morocco’s government and only the second woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden.

The incoming government will be responsible for overseeing Morocco’s preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country will co-host with Spain and Portugal. It will also face economic and social pressures, including challenges relating to youth employment and the delivery of public services.

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