Morocco Names Its First Woman Prime Minister

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first female prime minister. Her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most seats in the recent parliamentary election, but fell short of an outright majority, so El Mansouri will need to negotiate with other parties to form a coalition. Her experience as PAM’s national coordinator may help with that process. El Mansouri, a 50-year-old lawyer, has served as mayor of Marrakesh for several years and was a minister in the previous coalition government. Her campaign focused on young Moroccans, promising to restore hope through practical measures. That pledge comes amid widespread youth discontent, mounting economic and social pressures, unemployment, rising living costs, and persistent social disparities. The article points to a mass border rush to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July and deadly Gen-Z-led protests the previous year as signs of unrest. As prime minister, El Mansouri will face domestic policy challenges while working within Morocco’s constitutional monarchy, where the king retains extensive authority over foreign policy, defence, and other key portfolios. Her responsibilities will also include overseeing preparations for Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup and continuing the government’s autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara. The appointment is both a historic first for the country and the beginning of a politically demanding effort to form a government and address public concerns.

Fatima Zahra El Mansouri has been appointed Morocco’s first female prime minister after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (Pam) won the largest number of seats in the parliamentary election. King Mohammed VI chose her over fellow Pam politician Fouzi Lekjaa. She is the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden. Although Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, the king retains most political power and formally appoints the head of government from the party that comes first in elections. El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer who studied in Rabat and later specialised in business and corporate law in France and the United States. She became Marrakesh’s first female mayor in 2009, returned to the role after the 2021 elections, and served in the outgoing coalition government as minister responsible for territorial planning, urban planning, housing and city policy. She became a co-ordinator of Pam’s collective leadership in 2024. While she has been described as an “iron woman,” she has rejected that label. She has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights, despite continuing debate in Morocco about polygamy and equal inheritance rights. Her appointment follows an election in which Pam secured 97 of the 395 parliamentary seats, short of the 198 needed for an absolute majority. The party must negotiate a coalition, but its relationship with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), its former governing partner, has deteriorated. The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) increased its representation from 13 to 54 seats, but its leader, former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane, said the party would remain in opposition and would not partner with Pam. El Mansouri’s appointment therefore marks both a historic first for Morocco and the start of difficult coalition negotiations.

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Zahra Mansouri as the country’s first woman prime minister and tasked her with forming the next government. Under Morocco’s constitution, the king appoints the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections. Mansouri’s center-right Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, finishing 31 seats ahead of its nearest competitor. The election had the lowest turnout in two decades, amid reports of rising voter apathy. Mansouri described her appointment as a historic moment and a source of pride for Moroccan women. She is the second woman in the Arab world to serve as prime minister, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who held the role from 2021 to 2023. Mansouri previously became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh, first elected in 2009 and returning to the office in 2021. She has also served in parliament and has been a member of PAM since its founding in 2008. The party was established as a counterweight to Morocco’s Islamist movement, and Mansouri had become one of its leading figures by 2024. Her government will face pressure to address inflation, raise wages and create jobs, while also overseeing major investments connected to Morocco’s role as a co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Mansouri acknowledged high public expectations, particularly among young people, and promised a program of concrete and realistic solutions. PAM has said it is willing to work with all parties as it forms a government, though the moderate Islamist Justice and Development party and the left-wing Federation of Democratic Left have said they intend to remain in opposition.

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first woman prime minister after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most seats in the September 23 parliamentary election. The 50-year-old mayor of Marrakesh and former housing minister has been asked to form a government. PAM secured 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, 31 more than its nearest competitor, but fell short of an outright majority and will need coalition partners. The election also recorded the lowest turnout in two decades. Morocco’s monarch retains broad authority over major policy decisions, and the new government is expected to serve a five-year term. El Mansouri’s government faces economic and social challenges, including unemployment, rising living costs and disparities that particularly affect young people. During her campaign, she said young people were in crisis and pledged practical measures to restore hope. The government will also oversee major investments associated with the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will jointly host with Spain and Portugal. PAM has promised average annual growth of five percent, inflation of two percent and at least one million new jobs during its term. The election followed recent events highlighting youth discontent, including a surge of young Moroccan migrants into Spain’s Ceuta enclave and a Gen-Z protest movement that demanded improvements to health and education. The National Rally of Independents, which leads the outgoing coalition, finished second with 66 seats, followed by the Istiqlal party with 65. The Islamist Justice and Development Party won 54 seats, a substantial recovery from its 13 seats in 2021. Its leader, former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane, called the result a victory but rejected joining a PAM-led coalition, alleging fraud without providing details.