Rabat: Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first woman prime minister, tasking her with forming a new government after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the largest number of seats in last week’s parliamentary elections.
El Mansouri, 50, is the mayor of Marrakesh and previously served as minister responsible for housing and urban planning. Her appointment follows the September 23 parliamentary election, in which PAM secured 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, 31 more than the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which won 66 seats.
PAM fell short of the 198 seats required for a majority and will therefore need to build a coalition with other parties. Under Morocco’s constitutional system, the king appoints the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives.
El Mansouri described her appointment as historic in a televised address, saying it represented a source of pride for Moroccan women. She said her immediate priority would be to begin consultations within PAM before opening discussions with other political groups on forming the government.
The election results placed Istiqlal third with 65 seats, while the Justice and Development Party (PJD) won 54 seats, a significant increase from the 13 seats it secured in 2021. PJD leader and former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane has ruled out joining a coalition led by PAM.
El Mansouri’s government will face pressure to address unemployment, living costs and social disparities, particularly among young people. The election took place amid growing youth dissatisfaction over economic conditions and public services, following youth-led protests in 2025.
PAM has pledged average annual economic growth of 5 percent, inflation of 2 percent and the creation of at least one million jobs during its five-year term. The new government will also oversee major preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
El Mansouri joined PAM in 2008 and became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh in 2009. She lost the position in 2015 before returning as mayor in 2021. Her appointment makes her the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden.
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