By Prosper Mene
Morocco has recorded a historic milestone in its political history.
King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first female Prime Minister, following the parliamentary elections of September 23, 2026.
El Mansouri was formally appointed at the Royal Palace in Rabat on Tuesday, September 29, after her party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), won 97 out of 395 seats in the House of Representatives to secure a plurality. She succeeds outgoing Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
Her appointment makes her the second woman ever to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden.
As the national coordinator of PAM’s collective leadership, El Mansouri will now lead executive governance, drive national economic strategy and shape social policy at a critical time for the North African nation. Her immediate task is to build a stable governing coalition with partner parties including the National Rally of Independents and the Istiqlal Party.
Her administration will also oversee major national priorities including infrastructure upgrades, post-earthquake regional development, expansion of direct housing support, and preparations for Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Marrakesh in 1976, El Mansouri is a lawyer by training. She earned advanced law degrees from the University of Montpellier in France and New York University in the United States, and built a career in commercial and real estate law.
She first rose to national prominence in 2009 when she became the first woman elected Mayor of Marrakesh at age 33. She has since served multiple terms in parliament, returned as Mayor of Marrakesh in 2021, and served as Minister of National Spatial Planning, Urban Development, Housing and City Policy before her elevation to Prime Minister.
Her appointment marks a decisive breakthrough for women in political leadership in North Africa and across the Arab world.
