Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Tuesday appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country's first woman prime minister after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged as the largest party in last week's parliamentary elections.
The king asked El Mansouri to form a new government, according to a statement from the royal palace.
Under Morocco's constitution, the monarch appoints the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives. While Morocco operates as a constitutional monarchy, the king retains broad authority over key areas including foreign policy, defence and strategic national decisions.
ELECTION VICTORY PROPELS PAM TO TOP SPOT
El Mansouri's PAM secured 97 seats in the September 23 election, overtaking its coalition partners in the outgoing government.
The liberal-centrist National Rally of Independents (RNI) won 66 seats, while the conservative nationalist Istiqlal party secured 65. The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), which governed Morocco for a decade before suffering a major defeat in 2021, finished with 54 seats.
Founded in 2008 by a royal adviser, PAM has positioned itself as a modernising force in Moroccan politics, advocating social reforms and secular-leaning policies.
The party's campaign received a boost after the recruitment of Fouzi Lekjaa, the head of Morocco's football federation and a senior government budget official, shortly before the election.
COALITION TALKS BEGIN
El Mansouri, a lawyer who served as housing minister in the outgoing administration and is also the mayor of Marrakech, will now begin negotiations to build a governing coalition.
She will then submit a proposed cabinet to King Mohammed VI for approval.
Although PAM had previously ruled out remaining in a coalition with the RNI during the election campaign, citing disagreements over economic policies and rising food prices, El Mansouri signalled a more conciliatory approach after the vote.
"We have turned the page," she said last week, adding that there would be no "red lines" in coalition negotiations.
Former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane, who leads the PJD, said his party would remain in opposition.
NEW GOVERNMENT FACES ECONOMIC AND WORLD CUP CHALLENGES
The incoming administration will oversee the final phase of Morocco's preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
It will also be tasked with addressing economic concerns and youth dissatisfaction that have increasingly shaped public debate in recent years.
The issue came into focus following a mass attempt by migrants to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July and large youth-led protests last year.
VOTER TURNOUT DECLINES
Voter turnout fell to around 38 per cent, down from roughly 50 per cent in the previous parliamentary election five years ago.
The participation rate was closely watched as a measure of public confidence in elected institutions and political parties.
El Mansouri's appointment marks a milestone for women's representation in Morocco's political system. In recent years, King Mohammed VI has appointed women to several senior institutional roles, while the outgoing government included four women ministers.
