MOROCCO APPOINTS FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER
Morocco has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as its first woman prime minister, marking a historic moment in the country’s political history.
The 50-year-old lawyer and former mayor of Marrakech becomes only the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2023.
El Mansouri, who has also served as Morocco’s urban planning minister, was appointed by King Mohammed VI and tasked with forming a new government.
She described the appointment as “truly historic”, saying she was taking on the responsibility with a strong sense of duty.
Her appointment follows the September 23 parliamentary election, in which her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won 97 of the 395 seats in the lower house.
El Mansouri will now face the task of forming a governing coalition after PAM fell short of an outright majority.