Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri Named Morocco's First Woman Prime Minister

The king of Morocco on Tuesday named Marrakesh mayor Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri the country's first woman prime minister, the royal cabinet announced, after her party won last week's parliamentary elections.

Her centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) had dominated the vote, winning 97 out of 395 seats in the House of Representatives -- 31 more than the next closest competitor, although the poll was marked by the lowest turnout in two decades.

The royal cabinet said King Mohammed VI has now tasked the 50-year-old, who also served as housing minister, with "forming the new government".

Speaking shortly after, El Mansouri said in a televised address her appointment was "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."

Without an outright majority, the PAM will have to form a coalition with other parties, though the monarch retains broad powers over major policies.

For the new premier, "the work starts today", she said. 

"We will first initiate internal consultations within our party before holding discussions with all political groups."

El Mansouri joined the PAM in 2008, the year it was founded by current royal adviser Fouad Ali El Himma as a counterweight to the country's Islamist movement.

She was also the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh, winning the office in 2009 before losing it six years later, then retaking it again in 2021.

'Restore hope'

El Mansouri's cabinet will have to tackle several pressing issues including unemployment and living costs, as well as persistent social disparities particularly weighing on young people.

The parliamentary vote came just weeks after tens of thousands of mainly young Moroccan migrants rushed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, a crisis that highlighted socioeconomic frustrations among the youth.

It also came a year after a Gen-Z protest movement took to the streets to demand better health and education.

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

Her party has pledged average annual economic growth of five percent, inflation of two percent and the creation of at least one million new jobs over its five-year term.

The PAM was followed in the polls by the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which heads the outgoing coalition and won 66 seats.

The right-wing Istiqlal party came third with 65 seats, while the Islamist opposition's Justice and Development Party (PJD) took 54 seats.

The PJD made significant gains after winning just 13 seats in 2021, having focused its campaign in part on fighting corruption.

Its chief, former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane, hailed a "victory" but ruled out joining a coalition led by the PAM, which he said was "tainted by fraud", without providing details.

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