Morocco appoints first woman prime minister in historic move

Morocco has appointed its first woman prime minister, with King Mohammed VI tasking Marrakesh Mayor Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri with forming a new government following her party’s victory in last week’s parliamentary election.

The 50-year-old El Mansouri, a senior leader of the centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), was formally appointed on Tuesday. She previously served as Morocco’s housing and urban policy minister.

Calling the appointment “truly historic” in a televised address, El Mansouri said it was the first time a woman had been entrusted with leading Morocco’s government and described it as a source of pride for Moroccan women.

PAM won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives in the September 23 election, 31 more than its nearest rival. However, it fell well short of the 198 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, leaving El Mansouri with the task of negotiating a coalition to form her government.

“El Mansouri’s appointment marks a historic first for Morocco and makes her only the second woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden,” according to international reports.

El Mansouri joined PAM in 2008 and became Marrakesh’s first woman mayor in 2009. After losing the post six years later, she returned as mayor in 2021. She now faces coalition negotiations before her government can be formally assembled.