Morocco has made history by appointing Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as its first woman prime minister. King Mohammed VI appointed El Mansouri on Tuesday, September 27, 2026, and tasked her with forming a new government. This move comes after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged as the largest party in the September 23 parliamentary elections, winning 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives.
Under Morocco's Constitution, the King appoints the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives. El Mansouri will now lead negotiations to build a governing coalition, as PAM does not have enough seats to govern alone. Her appointment is a significant milestone in Morocco's political history, and she will be responsible for addressing the country's economic and social priorities.
El Mansouri has a strong background in politics and law. Born in Marrakech in 1976, she is a lawyer by training and has built a political career spanning local government, Parliament, and the national cabinet. She studied private law at Mohammed V University in Rabat before pursuing postgraduate legal studies in France and the United States.
El Mansouri's political career began to take shape in 2009 when she became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakech. She held the position until 2015 and returned to the mayoralty following the 2021 elections. She also served as a member of Parliament and rose through the ranks of PAM, which she joined in its early years.
In October 2021, King Mohammed VI appointed El Mansouri Minister of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing, and City Policy in the government led by Aziz Akhannouch. She remained in that position until her appointment as head of government. Her political profile expanded further in 2024 when she became one of three coordinators of PAM's collective leadership.
El Mansouri has received international recognition for her achievements. In 2014, she was included by Forbes among Africa's influential young women and was selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Her appointment as prime minister makes her the first woman to head a Moroccan government and only the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia's Najla Bouden.
El Mansouri's immediate challenge will be forming a coalition and preparing a government capable of addressing Morocco's economic and social priorities. The new administration will also oversee major infrastructure and investment projects linked to Morocco's preparations to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal. The government will inherit wider public concerns around inflation, wages, employment, and services, issues that featured prominently in the recent political debate.
Key points
- El Mansouri is the first woman to head a Moroccan government and only the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world.
