First female prime minister named in Morocco after winning elections
Fatima Zahra El Mansouri has been named Morocco’s first female prime minister, after her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (Pam) won the most seats in last week’s parliamentary elections. Her…
Morocco's first female prime minister, Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, has been appointed following her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party's (PAM) victory in parliamentary elections. This makes her the second woman in the Arab world to lead a government, succeeding Tunisia's Najla Bouden. King Mohammed VI chose El Mansouri, a 50-year-old former mayor of Marrakesh, over the country's football chief, Fouzi Lekjaa.
El Mansouri has been a prominent figure in Moroccan politics since the founding of PAM in 2008 and previously held ministerial positions under former Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. She has not directly addressed the need for potential accommodations for her in Muslim religious ceremonies, instead praising the king as the "biggest advocate for women" in the country.
With 97 seats in the 395-member parliament, PAM will need to form a coalition to meet the requirement for an absolute majority. El Mansouri, a lawyer by training, has rarely spoken publicly about women's rights or gender inequality, despite ongoing debates in Morocco over various issues.
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