After announcing the government majority, what awaits Al-Mansouri to form the first government headed by a woman in Morocco?

The winning party in the legislative elections in Morocco, the Authenticity and Modernity Party, announced on Monday a coalition of four parties to form a government headed by Fatima Zahraa Al-Mansouri.

According to a statement published by the Moroccan News Agency, Al-Mansouri decided the features of the next government majority by “announcing a political agreement that brings together four parties, namely Authenticity, Modernity, Independence, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, Progress, and Socialism, after two rounds of consultations with a number of parties represented in Parliament.”

The statement stated that the agreement aims to form “a strong political government, based on intellectual and political rapprochement among its components, and based on a common reform vision, capable of responding to citizens’ expectations and confronting internal challenges and external coercions.”

According to the Moroccan News Agency, “The four parties will work to propose the names of male and female candidates to assume ministerial portfolios, in accordance with the standards of competence, political sense, integrity, and integrity, at a time when it is expected that the process of preparing the government program will begin as soon as possible, without revealing the names nominated for the ministerial position or the nature of the distribution of portfolios among the components of the majority.”

Al-Mansouri began her political consultations immediately after her appointment by King Mohammed VI and his assignment to form the government, in accordance with the requirements of Article 47 of the Constitution, after the Authenticity and Modernity Party topped the results of the legislative elections that took place on September 23, according to the statement.

The components of the majority identified a set of priorities that will frame the work of the next government, foremost of which is improving decent living conditions, enhancing rights and freedoms, achieving social justice and spatial equity, in addition to supporting economic prosperity and strengthening the productive capabilities of the national economy.

The allied parties also stressed the need to keep pace with the royal ambition aimed at building a rising Morocco, by consolidating the democratic structure, enshrining the principles of good governance, and promoting balanced development conditions among the various regions of the Kingdom.

The statement considered that the appointment of a woman to head the government, for the first time in the history of the Kingdom, constitutes a historical milestone with strong symbolic connotations, and reflects a remarkable shift in the Moroccan democratic path.

King Mohammed VI appoints the members of the government, who are proposed by Al-Mansouri, while ministers of strategic sectors such as the interior and foreign affairs are usually appointed from outside political parties.

It is expected that the new government will gain the confidence of Parliament in accordance with Chapter 88 of the country’s constitution, after presenting the government program to the Houses of Representatives and Advisors of Parliament.

These four parties - which include moderate socialist parties and the nationalist Istiqlal Party - hold a total of 207 seats in Parliament, exceeding the threshold of 198 seats needed to achieve a majority.

The announced majority represents 207 seats out of 395 seats in the House of Representatives.

The next government faces several political and social challenges, the most important of which is restoring confidence in political institutions and addressing youth unemployment.

The new government will also oversee the final stages of a huge project costing $20 billion, which aims to prepare the country to host the 2030 World Cup finals, which Morocco will organize jointly with Portugal and Spain.

The government is facing pressure to address youth issues related to employment opportunities, education, and health services; These are issues that were the main driver of the Generation Z protests last year and the migration crisis in Ceuta during July.