Moroccan centrist party agrees to form coalition government with three other parties

Morocco's king appoints first woman prime minister following election — Royal Palace By Ahmed EljechtimiRABAT, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Morocco's centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), who topped last month'sparliamentary election vote, will form a coalition government with three other parties,the four parties said on Monday.The four — which include moderate socialist parties and the nationalist Istiqlal — together hold 207 seats in parliament, above the 198 needed for a majority.The deal "produces a strong political government, made up of components marked by ideological and political proximity, united in, and committed to, a shared reformist vision,” the coalition said in a joint statement, adding that they will next propose a cabinet lineup.The kingappointed PAM leader Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country's first woman to act as head of government and tasked her with forming a cabinet after PAM finished first in the September 23 vote.PAM was founded in 2008 by an adviser to the king and has positioned itself as a counterweight to the Islamist Justice and Development Party, advocating social modernisation.The new government will oversee the final stages of a $20-billion push to prepare for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain.It faces pressure to address youth grievances over jobs, education and health services, which fuelled the Gen Z protests last year and the Ceuta migration crisis in July.The vote, however, is not expected to change policy direction in Morocco, a ​constitutional monarchy where the king retains sweeping powers over foreign policy, defence and other key portfolios.(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) This one's on us. The story doesn't end here. Our correspondents are already on the next chapter. Read everything they file, from $2/week. See Offers