Abbas El Fassi

Prime Minister of Morocco

(Cidon.org)

Abbas El Fassi was born on September 18, 1940 in Berkane. He completed his primary and secondary studies in Kénitra and Tanger before obtaining a law degree from Mohamed V University in Rabat in 1963. In 1961 he was elected president of Morocco's student union and in 1964 he began practicing law in Rabat. In 1973 he became Secretary-General of the Moroccan Human Rights League. The following year he was elected as a member of the Istiqlal party's executive committee. His first ministerial post came in 1977 when he became Minister of Housing, a position he maintained until 1981 when he was appointed Minister of Handicrafts and Social Affairs. He has served as Moroccan ambassador to Paris and Tunisia and as Morocco's representative to the Arab League and the Maghreb Union. In 1998 he replaced M'hamed Boucetta as Secretary-General of the Istiqlal party and in 2000 he became Minister of Labour. Following the 2007 parliamentary elections King Mohammed VI named him Prime Minister, a position he officially took over on October 15, 2007. El Fassi is married with four children.