Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima El Mansouri as the country’s first female prime minister after PAM won the most parliamentary seats
Morocco Appoints Fatima El Mansouri First Female Prime Minister
By Lukman OMIKUNLE
Morocco has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as its first female prime minister, marking a historic moment in the North African kingdom’s political history.
King Mohammed VI appointed the 50-year-old politician on Tuesday, September 29, after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged as the largest party in the country’s September 23 parliamentary elections. The king tasked El Mansouri with forming a new government.
El Mansouri’s appointment makes her the first woman to serve as Morocco’s head of government and the second woman to hold the position in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who served from 2021 to 2023.
Describing her appointment as “truly historic,” El Mansouri said: “For the first time in our country’s history, a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government. This is a source of pride not only for me but for all Moroccan women.”
Morocco operates a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, although the king retains extensive powers. Under the constitution, the monarch appoints the head of government from the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives.
El Mansouri was chosen ahead of Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco’s football federation chief and a prominent PAM figure, who had also been considered for the post, according to Reuters.
A lawyer and veteran politician, El Mansouri previously served as mayor of Marrakesh and as minister of national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy in the previous government.
At her party’s victory conference before her appointment, El Mansouri praised King Mohammed VI as “the biggest advocate for women” in Morocco.
“His Majesty is the holder of wisdom… If I am entrusted with the responsibility of head of government, it will be a great honour,” she said.
In 2021, El Mansouri rejected her portrayal as an “iron woman”, saying: “I am neither a woman of steel nor iron… I am a free activist.”
Despite her prominence in Moroccan politics, El Mansouri has rarely made women’s rights and gender inequality major themes of her public profile.
Her appointment comes after PAM won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, leaving it well short of the 198 seats required for an outright majority. She will therefore have to negotiate with other parties to form a coalition government.
Building that coalition will be among El Mansouri’s immediate priorities as she takes charge of a government facing economic and social pressures, including concerns over employment, the cost of living and public services.
The new administration will also oversee major investments linked to Morocco’s preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country will co-host with Portugal and Spain.
