Morocco’s king names Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as first female prime minister

King Mohammed VI named Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, according to a royal palace statement that tasked her with forming a new government. The appointment came four days after the results of last week’s parliamentary elections were announced, with El Mansouri’s Authenticity and Modernity Party winning the most seats.

El Mansouri is the first woman to lead a Moroccan government. She is only the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who served as prime minister from October 2021 to August 2023. In a televised address following the palace statement, El Mansouri described the moment as truly historic. “For the first time in our country’s history, a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government,” she said, adding that it was a source of pride not only for herself but for all Moroccan women.

Her party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), won 97 of 395 seats in the House of Representatives, Morocco’s lower house of parliament. That tally falls well short of the 198 seats required for an absolute majority, meaning PAM must form a coalition to govern. The path to a coalition is complicated. The Justice and Development Party (PJD) announced it will remain in opposition and refuse partnership with PAM. The PJD rebounded to 54 seats from just 13 in the previous election, buoyed by the return of party leader Abdelilah Benkirane, a former prime minister. PAM has also fallen out with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which led the outgoing government in which PAM was a junior partner. The Federation of Democratic Left has announced it will remain in opposition as well. PAM has expressed its willingness to work with all parties.

From Marrakesh mayor to head of government

El Mansouri is 50. She was born in Marrakesh in 1976. She became mayor of Marrakesh in 2009, the first woman to hold the post, and returned to the mayoralty after the 2021 elections. She also accumulated parliamentary experience, serving as a member of the House of Representatives over successive terms. In October 2021, El Mansouri was appointed Minister of National Spatial Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy. Her ministerial work was linked to the direct housing support programme, urban planning reforms, and rehousing those affected by the Al Haouz earthquake. She studied law at Mohammed V University in Rabat, according to one account, then obtained a diploma in advanced studies from the University of Montpellier and a diploma in Anglo-Saxon business law from New York University. PAM was founded in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Himma, a friend of the king.

The king chose El Mansouri over Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco’s football chief and a top PAM politician. PAM has been led by a collective leadership since February 2024 rather than a single secretary general, and El Mansouri became co-ordinator of PAM’s leadership coalition that same month. In the past, the appointment of a prime minister was largely a formality, as most Moroccan parties were led by a single secretary general, making it clear who would be nominated to head the government. After the results were announced, El Mansouri said the decision was ultimately up to the king to choose between her and Lekjaa. “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.

Governing without a majority

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy but most power remains in the hands of the king. Under the constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that comes first in elections to the House of Representatives. The governing coalition that El Mansouri must assemble will decide allocations for billions of dollars in investments ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to be primarily hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. El Mansouri has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights or gender inequality, despite ongoing debates in Morocco over whether polygamy should be banned and whether men and women should have equal inheritance rights. At a victory press conference, she was asked whether the state would need to make changes to accommodate her in Muslim religious ceremonies attended by the king, including Friday and Eid prayers, where men and women pray in separate sections. She did not directly answer. Instead, she praised the king as the biggest advocate for women in the country.