Morocco: King appoints first woman prime minister

Fatima Zahra Mansouri became Morocco 's first female prime minister, the country's royal cabinet announced on Tuesday. King Mohammed VI has tasked her with forming the next government.

Under the Moroccan constitution, the country's king has the power to appoint the prime minister, but he must choose someone from the party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections.

Mansouri's appointment comes after her center-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won last week's parliamentary elections .

PAM raked in 97 out of 395 seats in the House of Representatives, 31 more than the next closest competitor. The vote was, however, marred by the lowest turnout in two decades.

"For the first time in our country's history, a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government," Mansouri said. "This is a source of pride not only for me but for all Moroccan women."

Mansouri is now the second woman in the Arab world to serve as prime minister, after Najla Bouden, who served in that position in Tunisia from 2021 to 2023.

Mansouri's government will now need to deliver on voter's most important issues, such as fighting inflation, raising wages and creating jobs . At the same time, she is expected to oversee billions of dollars in investments linked to Morocco co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup during her tenure.

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