Morocco: King appoints first woman prime minister

Fatima Zahra Mansouri became Morocco's first female prime minister, the country's royal cabinet announced on Tuesday. King Mohammed VI has tasked her with forming the next government.

Under the Moroccan constitution, the country's king has the power to appoint the prime minister, but he must choose someone from the party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections.

Mansouri's appointment comes after her center-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won last week's parliamentary elections.

PAM raked in 97 out of 395 seats in the House of Representatives, 31 more than the next closest competitor. The vote was, however, marred by the lowest turnout in two decades.

"For the first time in our country's history, a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government," Mansouri said. "This is a source of pride not only for me but for all Moroccan women."

Mansouri is now the second woman in the Arab world to serve as prime minister, after Najla Bouden, who served in that position in Tunisia from 2021 to 2023.

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First female mayor of Marrakesh

Her government will now need to deliver on voter's most important issues, such as fighting inflation, raising wages and creating jobs. At the same time, Mansouri is expected to oversee billions of dollars in investments linked to Morocco co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup during her tenure.

"We are fully aware that this period will be significant and marked by high expectations from Moroccans, particularly young people," Mansouri said. "That is why we will have a program offering concrete and realistic solutions to citizens' concerns," she added.

Mansouri is also the first woman to serve as mayor of the city Marrakesh. She became mayor in 2009 for six years. She retook the job again in 2021. In addition to her mayorship, she has also been member of parliament.

The 50-year-old has been a member of PAM since 2008, the year the party was founded by current royal adviser Fouad Ali El Himma. PAM was formed to serve as a counterweight to the country's Islamist movement.     

By 2024, Mansouri was one of the party's top leaders.

Her task now will be to form a government and for that, PAM has expressed willingness to work with all parties. Some, however, including the moderate Islamist Justice and Development party and left-wing Federation of Democratic Left, have said they plan to remain in the opposition.

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Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko

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