Morocco’s king appoints Fatima El Mansouri to form first woman-led government

King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri to form Morocco’s next government after her Authenticity and Modernity Party emerged as the largest force in the September 23 parliamentary election, the royal palace said. The appointment makes El Mansouri the country’s first woman prime minister, according to the supplied report. Under Morocco’s constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party winning the most seats in the House of Representatives.

El Mansouri, a lawyer who served as housing minister and mayor of Marrakech, will begin negotiations on a governing coalition. She must then submit a proposed cabinet to the king for approval. The PAM won 97 seats, ahead of the National Rally of Independents, which took 66, and Istiqlal, which won 65.

The PAM had previously been the second-largest party in the outgoing coalition and had disagreed with the RNI over policy shortcomings, including rising food prices. El Mansouri said there would be no “red lines” in coalition negotiations, while former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane said the Islamist Justice and Development Party, which won 54 seats, would remain in opposition. The incoming government is expected to oversee the final stages of a reported $20bn programme preparing Morocco to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain.

It will also pursue economic policies aimed at addressing youth discontent. Turnout fell to about 38 per cent, compared with roughly 50 per cent in the previous election. The outgoing government had four women ministers, while the king has also appointed women to senior institutional roles.