Morocco’s king names Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as first woman to lead the government

For the first time in its history, Morocco has a woman at the head of its government. King Mohammed VI received Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri at the Royal Palace in Rabat on Tuesday 29 September 2026 and, in the words of the palace statement, appointed her “in accordance with article 47 of the Constitution, as Head of Government” and entrusted her with forming a new cabinet.

El Mansouri, 50, coordinates the collective leadership of the Authenticity and Modernity Party, known by its French initials PAM. She is the third woman to become prime minister in the Arab world, after Najla Bouden and Sara Zaafarani in Tunisia, Al Jazeera noted.

“For the first time in our country’s history, a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government,” she said in a televised address. “This is a source of pride not only for me but for all Moroccan women.”

An election won on a low turnout

The appointment followed the parliamentary election of 23 September. Under the constitution adopted in 2011, the king must choose the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber.

That party was the PAM, with 97 of the 395 seats, according to results announced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit and confirmed by the ministry on 25 September. The National Rally of Independents (RNI), which led the outgoing coalition, came second with 66 seats and the Istiqlal Party third with 65. The Justice and Development Party (PJD), in opposition, won 54. Ten smaller parties and alliances shared the rest.

Only 38.02% of registered voters took part, down from about 50% in 2021 and the lowest figure since 2007. The AFP news agency linked the weak participation to public concern over unemployment, inequality, healthcare and education; youth-led protests demanding better public services took place in Morocco in 2025.

Who she is

El Mansouri was born in Marrakesh in 1976 and studied law, with postgraduate studies at the University of Montpellier in France and at New York University. In 2009 she became the first woman elected mayor of Marrakesh, a post she returned to after the 2021 local elections. Since October 2021 she has been minister of national spatial planning, urban development, housing and urban policy, a portfolio that included a housing-support programme and the rehousing of people affected by the 2023 Al Haouz earthquake.

Her party was founded in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Himma, a friend and adviser of the king, and is regarded as close to the palace. It campaigned on a promise of one million jobs and new spending on health, education and social protection, Morocco World News reported.

What comes next

With 97 seats, the PAM is far short of the 198 needed for a majority, so El Mansouri’s first task is to assemble a coalition. The PJD and the Federation of the Democratic Left have said they will stay in opposition. The palace traditionally keeps control of key portfolios, including defence and foreign affairs.

The government she forms will oversee the final years of preparation for the 2030 football World Cup, which Morocco is to host with Spain and Portugal and which involves investment running into billions of dollars.