Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first woman prime minister after her liberal-centrist party emerged as the largest winner in last week’s parliamentary election.
The royal palace announced on Tuesday that the King had asked El Mansouri to form a new government following the September 23 election.
El Mansouri’s Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) secured 97 seats, placing it ahead of the liberal-centrist National Rally of Independents (RNI), which won 66, and the conservative nationalist Istiqlal party with 65.
PAM was founded in 2008 by an adviser to the King and has positioned itself as a counterweight to the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), while promoting social modernisation and secular-leaning policies.
El Mansouri, a lawyer who previously served as housing minister and mayor of Marrakech, will now lead negotiations to form a coalition government. She will then submit her proposed cabinet to the King for approval.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy in which the King retains significant powers over foreign policy, defence and other key areas. Under the constitution, the head of government is appointed from the party that wins the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives.
El Mansouri had previously ruled out keeping PAM in coalition with the RNI, with the two parties having blamed each other over policy shortcomings, including rising food prices. However, she said there would be “no red lines” in the coalition negotiations, declaring that the parties had “turned the page”.
The PJD, which won 54 seats, will remain in opposition, according to its leader and former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane. Three left-wing parties secured smaller numbers of seats.
El Mansouri’s government will oversee the final preparations for Morocco’s estimated US$20 billion infrastructure push ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country will co-host with Portugal and Spain.
The new administration will also face pressure to address widespread youth dissatisfaction, which has contributed to protests and other signs of frustration over economic conditions.
Voter turnout was about 38%, down from roughly 50% in the previous election five years ago, when the PJD suffered a major defeat after a decade in power.
While Morocco has previously appointed women to senior government and institutional positions, including four women ministers in the outgoing government, El Mansouri’s appointment marks the first time a woman has been chosen to lead the Moroccan government.
