Morocco’s King Appoints El Mansouri as First Woman Prime Minister

What changed

King Mohammed VI appointed Marrakesh mayor Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first woman prime minister on Tuesday.

Her liberal-centrist party came first in the September 23 parliamentary election. El Mansouri has also served as Morocco’s minister of habitat.

Why it matters

The appointment puts a woman with both municipal and ministerial experience at the head of Morocco’s government for the first time. It also links the new government to an election result in which her party emerged on top.

The next test is practical: whether El Mansouri can turn that electoral win into parliamentary support and a workable cabinet programme. The available account does not name her party, give its vote share or confirm the shape of that support, so the political direction of her government remains open.