First female prime minister named in Morocco after winning elections
Fatima Zahra El Mansouri has been appointed Morocco’s first female prime minister after her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) secured the highest number of seats in last week’s parliamentary elections.
Her appointment makes her the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden.
King Mohammed VI selected the 50-year-old El Mansouri for the position, choosing her over Fouzi Lekjaa, the country’s football chief and another leading figure within PAM. El Mansouri, a former mayor of Marrakesh, also served as a minister in the previous coalition government.
Although Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, the king retains significant political powers.
Before her appointment, El Mansouri was asked at a post-election press conference whether changes would be required to accommodate her participation in Muslim religious ceremonies attended by the king, including Friday and Eid prayers, where men and women worship separately.
She did not directly respond to the question, instead describing the king as the country’s “biggest advocate for women” and saying it would be a great honour to serve as head of government if entrusted with the responsibility.
A trained lawyer, El Mansouri studied at Mohammed V University in Rabat before pursuing further studies in France and the United States, specialising in business and corporate law.
She entered politics after PAM was established in 2008 and made history in 2009 by becoming the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh. She returned to the position following the 2021 elections.
From 2021, she served as minister responsible for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy under former Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. In February 2024, she became coordinator of PAM’s collective leadership.
El Mansouri has previously rejected descriptions of her as an “iron woman,” saying she considers herself a “free activist.”
Despite being one of Morocco’s most prominent female politicians, she has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights and gender inequality, issues that remain part of national debates, including questions surrounding polygamy and equal inheritance rights for men and women.
Under Morocco’s constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that emerges first in elections to the House of Representatives.
PAM, however, does not hold a parliamentary majority. With 97 seats in the 395-member legislature, the party needs to form alliances with other parties to reach the 198 seats required for an absolute majority.
It remains uncertain which parties PAM will partner with, particularly after tensions with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which headed the outgoing coalition government in which PAM served as a junior partner.
Meanwhile, the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) made a significant recovery, winning 54 seats compared with just 13 in the previous election. Its resurgence was boosted by the return of former Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane as party leader.
Following the election, Benkirane said the PJD would remain in opposition and ruled out forming a coalition with PAM.
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