Woman MP chairs parliament session for first time in Morocco

Second deputy-speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Fatna El Kihel (from the Popular group), chaired on Wednesday a session of the House of Representatives, (the parliament's lower chamber), in the first time in Morocco that a woman is chairing a parliament's session.

Sitting next to El Kihel was another woman MP, Mrs. Milouda Hazib from the Democrat Constitutional Group, who was elected as the House secretary. El Kihel was welcomed by warm applauds from her fellow male representatives.

The two women MPS are among 35 women elected in September 2002 to the Moroccan parliament which musters 325 members, including Mrs. Nezha Skalli, who was chosen by her party, the PPS (Party for Progress and Socialism) to chair the PPS parliamentary group, the Socialist Alliance Group.