Morocco has reached a historic political milestone with the appointment of Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country's first female prime minister. The appointment was confirmed by the royal palace on Tuesday, following the performance of El Mansouri's liberal-centrist party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), in the September 23 parliamentary elections.

King Mohammed VI has officially requested that El Mansouri form a new government. Her party, the PAM, was established in 2008 by an adviser to the king and has historically functioned as a political counterweight to the Islamist Justice and Development Party. While Sky News reports the appointment as a direct result of an "election victory," the South China Morning Post (SCMP) provides more specific context regarding the monarch's role in the appointment process and the political history of the PAM.

This appointment marks only the second time a woman has held the position of prime minister in the Arab world. The transition signals a shift in the Moroccan political landscape, as the PAM takes the lead in government formation under the mandate provided by the King.