Morocco's king appoints Marrakesh mayor El Mansouri as first woman prime minister

King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco's first woman prime minister on Tuesday after her liberal-centrist party came out on top in a September 23 parliamentary election, the royal palace said. Her government is expected to make major investments linked to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, while facing pressing issues including unemployment and living costs.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, the mayor of Marakkesh, attends a rally ahead September 23 parliamentary polls. © Mosa'ab Elshamy, AP

The king of Morocco on Tuesday named Marrakesh mayor Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri the country's first woman prime minister, the royal cabinet announced, after her party won last week's parliamentary elections .

Her centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) had dominated the vote, winning 97 out of 395 seats in the House of Representatives – 31 more than the next closest competitor, although the poll was marked by the lowest turnout in two decades.

The royal cabinet said King Mohammed VI has now tasked the 50-year-old, who also served as housing minister, with "forming the new government".

Without an outright majority, the PAM will have to form a coalition with other parties for its five-year tenure, though the monarch retains broad powers over major policies.

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