ALBAWABA- King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Tuesday appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as head of government, making her the first woman to hold the position in the kingdom’s history.
The Royal Palace said the king received El Mansouri at the royal palace in Rabat and appointed her under Article 47 of the Constitution, tasking her with forming a new government.
The appointment follows parliamentary elections held on 23 September, in which El Mansouri’s Authenticity and Modernity Party emerged as the largest party in the 395-member House of Representatives, winning 97 seats. The National Rally of Independents, led by outgoing Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, came second with 66 seats, followed by the Istiqlal Party with 65.
Authenticity and Modernity Party fell well short of the 198 seats required for an absolute majority, meaning El Mansouri will have to negotiate with other parties to form a governing coalition. Under Morocco’s Constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that wins the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections.
Voter turnout was about 38 percent, one of the lowest levels recorded in recent decades and significantly below the roughly 51 percent turnout in the 2021 election.
🚨Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri devient la première femme de l’histoire du Maroc à prendre la tête du gouvernement. 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/wJobMzzvKO
El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer from Marrakesh who has held several prominent political positions. She previously served as mayor of Marrakesh and as minister responsible for national planning, urban planning, housing and urban policy in the outgoing government. She is also the national coordinator of PAM’s collective leadership and played a prominent role in the party’s election campaign.
Her appointment marks a historic milestone for Morocco and places a woman at the center of the country’s executive leadership for the first time. She will now lead negotiations to form a coalition government and address major priorities including economic development, job creation, healthcare and education, as Morocco prepares for major infrastructure and investment programs ahead of its co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Dr. Mansour Al-Maswari is Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University-Global Center, Amman. A Yemeni academician with a Ph.D. in English "Comparative Literature" and two MA degrees, one in political science and the other in English, Dr. Al-Maswari possesses more than 17 years of extensive experience in university-level teaching, research, research reviewing, bilingual translation, and copy-writing...
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