Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri Becomes Morocco’s First Woman PM After Election
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri has made history as Morocco’s first woman prime minister after King Mohammed VI appointed her head of government on Tuesday, six days after the country held parliamentary elections. She has now been tasked with forming a coalition government after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged as the largest party in Parliament.
El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer and former mayor of Marrakesh who has held several senior government positions. She served as minister overseeing national planning, urban development and housing in outgoing Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch’s government and is also the national coordinator of PAM’s collective leadership.
Her appointment marks a major milestone for women in Moroccan politics. She is also only the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2023. Morocco’s outgoing government had four women ministers.
PAM won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, ahead of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which secured 66, and the Istiqlal Party, which won 65. The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), led by former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane, returned strongly with 54 seats but has said it will remain in opposition.
PAM's victory does not give El Mansouri a parliamentary majority. She needs at least 198 seats to control the 395-member House, meaning coalition negotiations will be her immediate priority. During the election campaign, PAM had ruled out renewing its coalition with RNI after the two parties traded blame over issues including rising food prices. El Mansouri has since said there would be “no red lines” in the coalition talks, indicating that the party is open to negotiations.
The election recorded a turnout of 38.02 per cent, down from around 50 per cent in 2021. The decline has been closely watched as an indicator of public engagement with Morocco’s political institutions. Youth unemployment and dissatisfaction over jobs, public services and economic opportunities have emerged as major concerns ahead of the new government.
El Mansouri’s government will also oversee the final stages of Morocco’s preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country will co-host with Portugal and Spain. Morocco is investing around $20 billion in stadiums, railways and other infrastructure linked to the tournament. PAM also campaigned on a pledge to create one million jobs and increase spending on healthcare, education, social protection and wages.
Morocco’s political system gives the king significant powers over foreign policy, defence and other key areas. Under the constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that wins the largest number of seats, after which the prime minister-designate negotiates a coalition and submits a proposed cabinet for royal approval.
For El Mansouri, the immediate challenge is therefore to turn PAM’s electoral victory into a functioning coalition while addressing economic concerns and delivering on the government’s employment and public-service promises.