Morocco's King appoints El Mansouri as country's first female PM

RABAT: Moroccan King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as prime minister on Tuesday, making her the first woman to hold the post in the country, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Mansouri's Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won parliamentary elections on Sept 23, with 97 seats.

The appointment was announced in a statement by the Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery.

The king appoints the prime minister from the party winning the most seats in the 395-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, while ministers are appointed on the premier's proposal.

The statement said Mohammed received Mansouri, the coordinator of the PAM's collective leadership, at the Royal Palace in Rabat and appointed her prime minister, tasking her with forming the new government.

After the meeting, Mansouri called the decision a "historic moment" for the nation.

"This is the first time that a woman has been appointed to head a government, which is a source of pride for me and for all the women of the country," she said.

Mansouri added that she would immediately begin consultations within her party and with other political parties to form a government.

"We are fully aware of the importance of this stage and of the high expectations of citizens, particularly young people," she noted, emphasising that "we will draw up a programme offering realistic and concrete solutions."

The National Rally of Independents (RNI) came second with 66 seats, followed by the Istiqlal Party with 65 seats and the Justice and Development Party (PJD) with 54 seats.

A majority in the House requires at least 198 seats, opening the way for consultations to form a governing majority.

Mansouri heads the collective leadership alongside two other senior party figures – Mehdi Bensaid, minister of youth and culture, and Fatima Saadi.

She rose to prominence after the PAM's establishment in 2008, becoming Marrakech's first female mayor in 2009.