Fatima Zahra El Mansouri has become Morocco’s first female prime minister after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) secured the most seats in last week’s parliamentary elections.
King Mohammed VI chose El Mansouri over Fouzi Lekjaa, the country’s football chief and another senior PAM figure, for the post.
El Mansouri, 50, has served as mayor of Marrakesh for several years and held a ministerial position in the previous coalition government. Her appointment also makes her the second woman to head a government in the Arab world after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden.
Morocco operates as a constitutional monarchy, although the king retains significant political powers. Under the constitution, he appoints the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives.
At a press conference following PAM’s election victory, El Mansouri faced a question about whether her appointment will require changes to the state’s arrangements for Muslim religious ceremonies attended by the king.
The question referred to Friday and Eid prayers, where men and women worship in separate sections.
El Mansouri did not directly respond but praised the king for his support for women.
“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.
She also described Mohammed VI as “the biggest advocate for women” in Morocco.
El Mansouri is among the country’s prominent female politicians. She trained as a lawyer at Mohammed V University in Rabat before pursuing further studies in France and the United States (US), where she specialised in business and corporate law.
She entered politics after PAM was established in 2008 and became Marrakesh’s first female mayor in 2009. She returned to the position after the 2021 elections.
She also served as minister for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy during former Prime Minister (PM) Aziz Akhannouch’s government.
In February 2024, she became a co-ordinator within PAM’s collective leadership, which replaced the party’s single secretary general structure.
El Mansouri has also rejected being described as an “iron woman”. Speaking to PAM’s magazine in 2021, she said, “I am neither a woman of steel nor iron… I am a free activist.”
Despite her position in Moroccan politics, El Mansouri has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights or gender inequality. The issues remain part of political and social debate in the country, including questions around polygamy and equal inheritance rights for men and women.
PAM won 97 seats in the 395-member parliament, leaving it short of the 198 seats required for an absolute majority. The party will therefore need to form a coalition to establish a government.
