Morocco has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first female prime minister, marking a historic moment in the North African kingdom.
King Mohammed VI named the 50-year-old lawyer and senior member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) on Tuesday, September 29, and tasked her with forming a new government. Her appointment followed parliamentary elections in which PAM emerged as the largest party in the 395-member House of Representatives.
PAM secured 97 seats, ahead of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which won 66, and the Istiqlal Party with 65 seats. However, the party fell well short of the 198 seats required for an outright majority, meaning Ms El Mansouri will have to negotiate with other parties to form a coalition government.
El Mansouri, who previously served as mayor of Marrakech and as Morocco’s minister responsible for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy, now faces the task of assembling her cabinet and securing parliamentary support.
Her government will also oversee major preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal, while addressing economic and social concerns including youth employment, inflation and public services.
The appointment makes El Mansouri the first woman to head Morocco’s government and places her among a small number of women to have served as prime minister in the Arab world. Tunisia’s Najla Bouden previously became the first woman to hold such a position in the region in 2021.
El Mansouri described her appointment as a historic moment, saying it was a source of pride for her and for Moroccan women.
The development represents a significant milestone in Morocco’s political history, while the new prime minister’s immediate priority will be to build the coalition needed to govern.
