Morocco forms new government under first ever female prime minister

Morocco announced a new cabinet on Friday, ushering in a historic era with the country’s first female prime minister leading a four-party coalition.

According to state-run Maghreb Arabe Presse, King Mohammed VI received members of the new cabinet, led by Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, and presided over their appointment ceremony at the Royal Palace in the capital, Rabat.

Fatima is the first Moroccan woman to hold the country’s top government post.

Read: Morocco's king appoints first woman prime minister following election

She will lead a new government formed by a four-party coalition comprising her Authenticity and Modernity Party, the Istiqlal Party, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces and the Party of Progress and Socialism.

The new government includes seven women, including Fatima, compared with six in the previous government led by Aziz Akhannouch.

The new government comprises 32 members, including ministers and ministers-delegate, according to official figures.

Abdelouafi Laftit kept his post as interior minister, alongside Nasser Bourita as foreign minister, Abdellatif Ouahbi as justice minister and Ahmed Toufiq as minister of Islamic affairs and endowments.

The new cabinet also established a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation and Administrative Reform, headed by Ahmed Rahhou.

On Monday, the Authenticity and Modernity Party, Istiqlal Party, Socialist Union of Popular Forces and Party of Progress and Socialism announced in a joint statement that they had formed the governing majority following the conclusion of the second round of consultations on forming a government, which began on September 30.

On September 29, King Mohammed VI tasked Fatima with forming a government after her party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party, came first in the September 23 elections with 97 seats.