Morocco's King appoints Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as first female premier
King Mohammed VI named Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri head of government, making her Morocco's first female premier.
King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s head of government, making her the nation’s first woman to occupy the post. El Mansouri, 50, previously served as mayor of Marrakesh and held the portfolio of national territory planning, housing and city policy in the outgoing cabinet. Her Party of Authenticity and Modernity emerged as the largest group in the September 23 parliamentary election, securing 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives.
Constitutionally, the king must choose the premier from the party that finishes first, even though the party is far from the 198 seats needed for a majority. The new premier now faces the challenge of negotiating a governing coalition. Born in Marrakesh in 1976, she studied law at the University of Montpellier before entering municipal politics with PAM, becoming the city’s first female mayor in 2009 and returning to the role after the 2021 local elections.
How this was covered
- Coverage peaked at 6 outlets in a single hour
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth left-leaning and right-leaning coverage present the king’s appointment of Fatima Ezzahra El-Mansouri as a historic first female premier, focusing on the novelty of the event and the procedural details, with no substantive disagreement.
LEFT
The appointment is portrayed as a historic, disruptive shift in Moroccan politics, marking the first time a monarch has named a female prime minister.
RIGHT
The appointment is presented as a historic first female premier, emphasizing the king’s decision following the party’s electoral victory and the task of forming a new government.
The left emphasises
- historic decision
- disruptive shift in Moroccan politics
- king can now claim to be the first monarch to name a female prime minister
The right emphasises
- first female prime minister in Morocco
- appointed after the Authenticity and Modernity Party won the most seats
- tasked with forming a new government
