Morocco appoints first female prime minister

King Mohammed VI has named Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first female prime minister, making history after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most seats in last week’s parliamentary elections.

The 50-year-old lawyer was appointed on Tuesday and tasked with forming a new government, according to the Royal Palace.

Her appointment makes her the first woman to lead Morocco’s government and the second woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden.

PAM won 97 of the 395 seats in Morocco’s House of Representatives in the September 23 parliamentary election, finishing ahead of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which won 66 seats, and the Istiqlal Party, which secured 65.

Under Morocco’s constitution, the king 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, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and a senior PAM figure who had also emerged as a contender for the position.

El Mansouri, a lawyer by training, has served as mayor of Marrakesh and previously held the position of minister responsible for national planning, urban planning, housing and city policy.

She became Marrakesh’s first female mayor in 2009 and returned to the position after the 2021 elections.

Following her appointment, El Mansouri described the development as a historic moment for Morocco.

“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 for Moroccan women.

Her new government will face the immediate task of forming a coalition, as PAM fell well short of the 198 seats required for an outright majority in parliament.

El Mansouri will also oversee major preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal, alongside economic and social challenges including youth unemployment and cost-of-living pressures.