Morocco appoints first female prime minister

Morocco has appointed its first female prime minister, Fatima El Mansouri.

She was appointed by King Mohammed VI after her party, the centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), won the most seats in last week’s parliamentary elections.

She becomes Morocco’s first female prime minister and the second woman to lead an Arab nation after Najla Bouden, Tunisia’s prime minister between 2021 and 2023.

Ms El Mansouri described her appointment as “truly historic.”

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

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, but the king holds the most power. Under Morocco’s constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party with the majority in the House of Representatives.

The king chose her as prime minister over the country’s football chief Fouzi Lekjaa, a top politician from the same party, according to the BBC.

El Mansouri is one of Morocco’s most prominent female politicians.

The 50-year-old was formerly the mayor of Marrakesh and also served as a minister in the previous coalition government. She served as minister for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy under former Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

At her party’s victory conference, held before she was announced as prime minister, she praised the king as “the biggest advocate for women” in the country.

“His Majesty is the holder of wisdom… If I am entrusted with the responsibility of head of government, it will be a great honour,” she said.

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In 2021, Ms El Mansouri rejected her portrayal as an “iron woman”, insisting, “I am neither a woman of steel nor iron… I am a free activist.”

However, Ms El Mansouri has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights or gender inequality.

Ms El Mansouri’s party, PAM, won the most seats in the house, but fell well short of the 198 seats needed for an outright majority and will need to form a coalition government.

Her first task will be to build this coalition.

This new governing coalition will decide allocations for billions of dollars in investments ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain.