Fatima Zahra El Mansouri appointed as Morocco's first female prime minister

Fatima Zahra El Mansouri has been appointed as Morocco's first female prime minister following her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (Pam) winning the most seats in the recent parliamentary elections. The 50-year-old lawyer and former mayor of Marrakesh is only the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia's Najla Bouden. King Mohammed VI appointed El Mansouri, choosing her over the country's football chief, Fouzi Lekjaa, who is also from Pam. El Mansouri has held various political roles, including serving as a minister in the previous coalition government. During a press conference, she praised the king as 'the biggest advocate for women' in Morocco but did not directly address questions regarding potential changes to accommodate her in religious ceremonies. El Mansouri studied law at Mohammed V University in Rabat and furthered her education in France and the US. She entered politics with Pam's founding in 2008 and became Marrakesh's first female mayor in 2009. As prime minister, she will need to negotiate a coalition with other parties to govern, as Pam holds 97 seats and requires 198 for a majority in the 395-member parliament. The party has previously fallen out with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which led the outgoing government, and the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) has expressed intentions to remain in opposition after gaining 54 seats.