Morocco Names Its First Woman Prime Minister
Fatima Zahra Mansouri, until now mayor of Marrakech, must build a coalition after a low-turnout election.
King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Zahra Mansouri as prime minister and asked her to form a government. She is the first woman to hold the post in Morocco. The Associated Press notes that she is only the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Najla Bouden of Tunisia.
The appointment followed parliamentary elections in late September. The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which Mansouri helps lead, won 97 of the 395 seats in the lower house. That made it the largest party, but well short of the 198 needed for a majority. The National Rally of Independents, which led the outgoing coalition, fell from 102 seats to 66. The Islamist Justice and Development Party rebounded from 13 seats to 54 and says it will stay in opposition.
Turnout was 38 percent of 15.8 million registered voters, according to Al Jazeera, down from about 51 percent in 2021. Analysts link the drop to disillusionment after the youth-led protests over jobs, healthcare and education that took place the year before.
Who she is
Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer trained at the University of Montpellier. She has served two terms as mayor of Marrakech and was minister for urban planning and housing. Under Morocco's 2011 constitution, the king must choose the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats. Before then, he could choose freely. Anonymous hackers have accused her of using her office for personal gain in Marrakech land deals. She denies the claims and has taken legal action.
What comes next
Her government has promised to tackle inflation, raise wages and create jobs. It will also oversee the heavy investment tied to the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco co-hosts with Spain and Portugal. For investors and frequent visitors, the questions are how stable her coalition proves and whether she can win back the voters who stayed home.
Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera.
