Morocco's King Names Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri First Woman PM

King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri on Tuesday as Morocco's first woman prime minister after her liberal-centrist ⁠party came out on top in a September 23 parliamentary election, the royal palace said.

The appointment is a notable milestone for the constitutional monarchy, making El Mansouri the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden. Describing the moment in a televised address, El Mansouri stated, For the first time in our country’s history, a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government, adding that it was a source of pride not only for me but for all Moroccan women.

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Under Morocco's constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the political party that wins the largest number ⁠of ‌seats in the House of Representatives. PAM won 97 seats, followed by its partners in the outgoing government, the liberal-centrist National Rally of Independents (RNI) with 66 seats, and the conservative nationalist Istiqlal with 65.

PAM fell well short of the 198 seats needed for an outright majority and will need to build a coalition in order to govern, which will be El Mansouri’s first task. During the campaign, PAM had ruled out ⁠staying in a coalition with the RNI — the two had traded blame over policy shortcomings including a failure to halt rises in food prices. But El Mansouri said on Thursday she would have no "red lines" when it came to negotiations. "We have turned the page," she said. Abdelilah Benkirane, former prime minister and leader of the PJD, which won 54 seats, said the ​party would stay in opposition.

Turnout, ⁠closely watched as an indicator of trust in elected institutions, fell to about 38% from around 50% in the previous elections ​five years ago, when the moderate Islamist PJD was dealt a crushing ‌defeat after a decade in power.

El Mansouri, a lawyer who ​was housing minister in the outgoing ‌government and Marrakech mayor, will lead talks to form a coalition government and submit a list of ⁠cabinet members for the ​king's approval. The incoming government will oversee the last stages of a $20-billion push to get ready for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain. It will also implement economic policies aimed at addressing widespread youth discontent, an issue highlighted ⁠by a mass border rush on the Spanish enclave of Ceuta ​in July and deadly Gen-Z-led protests last year.

El Mansouri’s Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) was created in 2008 by an adviser to the king and has since positioned itself as a counterweight to the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) by advocating social modernisation ​and secular-leaning views. PAM, which was the second-largest member in the outgoing coalition, moved up to the top spot, bolstered by the recruitment of Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco's football federation chief and two-time government budget ⁠manager, who joined weeks before the vote. In recent years, King Mohammed ​VI had appointed a female adviser and Morocco has had women in senior institutional roles. The outgoing government had four women ministers.