VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0875/01 3011408
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 281408Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0777
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 4744

UNCLAS RABAT 000875 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR SOCI MO
SUBJECT: MARRAKESH'S FIRST FEMALE MAYOR SETS AN 
AMBITIOUS COURSE 
 
REF: RABAT 0858 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Marrakesh Mayor Fatima Zohra El 
Mansouri, the first female mayor of a major Moroccan 
city, discussed with PolOffs her goals of providing 
good governance and bringing real improvements to the 
lives of Marakesh's residents.  She also described 
the challenges of managing a city hall composed of a 
broad coalition of political parties and attitudes 
toward good governance.  Mansouri waxed eloquent 
about how crucial it is for her Party of Authenticity 
and Modernity (PAM) to demonstrate that it can govern 
effectively and transparently -- given how heavily it 
emphasized these themes during the campaign. 
Mansouri also offered enthusiastic support for the 
Secretary's upcoming visit to Marrakesh.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------- 
ENTHUSIASM FOR S VISIT 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) On October 22, PolCouns and Political 
Assistant met with Mayor of Marrakesh Fatima Zohra El 
Mansouri, the first female mayor of a major Moroccan 
city.  Mansouri expressed her enthusiasm for meeting 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and underscored 
the symbolic importance this can represent for 
women's political participation in Morocco.  Mansouri 
believed that hosting the meeting at the City Hall 
would be highly symbolic for Morocco's 
democratization process. 
 
----------------------------- 
PAM'S CHALLENGES IN MARRAKESH 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Turning to politics, Mansouri expressed her 
optimism and confidence in the choices the PAM made 
to consolidate Morocco's democratization process. 
She explained that the PAM's intentions are to hoist 
the political field upwards by practicing good 
governance.  Mansouri conceded that the PAM attracted 
many opportunists because its founder, Fouad Ali El 
Himma, is a tremendously able politician and a close 
friend of the King.  However, Mansouri explained that 
although a new party cannot be too selective 
regarding its adherents, it can chose to be selective 
in identifying leaders on the basis of merit.  In 
this regard, she cited the fact that 80 percent of 
the PAM candidates who won office in June's communal 
elections were all first-time political participants 
who ran and won based on their new ideas and their 
merits.  In addition, she gave the example of PAM 
party members who won election but were subsequently 
removed from office because it was discovered that 
they had accepted campaign contributions from known 
narcotics traffickers.  In these cases, the PAM often 
had to give up a seat on a communal council, but the 
party felt it more important to lose a seat that to 
permit a corrupt party member to occupy it. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
PAM AND THE ISLAMISTS -- COOPERATION IN MARRAKESH 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The animosity between the PAM and the 
Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD) is 
well known (reftel) on the national level.  However, 
Mansouri explained that there are actually some 
similarities between the PJD and the PAM and that, on 
the Marrakesh level, their cooperation is actually 
quite good.  Like the PAM, the PJD embraces the 
principles of good governance, anti-corruption and 
transparency, she said.  In addition, both parties 
are internally democratic and seek to reward 
initiative.  Finally, Mansouri suggested, the PJD is 
the only other major party that has not yet held 
office and governed extensively.  In this regard, 
however, there is a big difference:  The PJD -- in 
large part through explicit PAM efforts -- does not 
currently control a single major city council in 
Morocco, whereas the PAM controls several as a result 
of the June elections.  Therefore, unlike the PJD, 
the PAM now has the opportunity to put its governance 
vision into action over the next five years. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) And in this regard, Mansouri is clearly 
eager to set a strong example.  She explained that 
her biggest challenge for Marrakesh is to eliminate 
 
the slums on the city's peripheries and to provide 
the population with decent living conditions.  These 
improvements are not only something the citizens 
deserve, she stressed, but also critical to 
maintaining and strengthening social cohesion.  She 
has also embarked on a personal effort to encourage 
all city council members -- not just PAM party 
members -- to engage with their constituencies; to 
seek out ways to deliver services to them and improve 
the city; and to proactively root out corruption and 
complacency. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Mansouri admitted that this last goal -- in 
short, to hold elected officials responsible for 
actually governing, rather than simply "holding 
office" -- has created some tremors within the 
council, especially among long-entrenched politicians 
who are not accustomed to working hard at anything 
except getting re-elected.  However, she also said 
that many have embraced her new approach.  She has 
received enormous support from both public and 
private institutions and from other political 
parties.  Even her cooperation with the PJD -- the 
PAM's arch rival -- has been positive, she said; 
local PJD officials have shown a willingness to work 
with her, and the national Secretary General of the 
PJD, Abdelilah Benkirane, commended her after her 
election, she said.  She explained that no one wants 
to see the first big-city woman mayor fail. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶7.  (SBU) Capable and ambitious, Mansouri clearly 
represents the type of political leader the PAM wants 
at the forefront in its ascendency.  She clearly 
understands that much of Morocco will be watching her 
successes and failures, not only because she is the 
first woman mayor of a major city, but also as a 
leading indicator of whether the PAM can live up to 
its stated promises to govern competently and to 
bring governance closer to the people. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Mayor Mansouri is the granddaughter of a 
former Pasha, a prominent local official, from 
Marrakesh.  The family connections reportedly played 
an important role in Mansouri's election.  Now, her 
family is once again administering Marrakesh -- but 
with the people's blessing.  END COMMENT. 
 
KAPLAN