King Mohammed VI of Morocco has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country's first woman prime minister. The royal palace announced this on 29 September 2026.
The decision followed the victory of her party, Authenticity and Modernity (PAM), in the parliamentary elections on 23 September. The party won the largest number of seats in the lower house of parliament.
El Mansouri, a 50-year-old lawyer and mayor of Marrakesh, previously served as minister of national planning, urban planning, housing and urban policy. She also became coordinator of the PAM leadership in February 2024.
The king chose her over Fouzi Lekjaa, another prominent politician from the same party. The appointment came as a surprise to many observers.
This is a historic step for Morocco: El Mansouri is the first woman in this post since its establishment in 1911. In the Arab world, she will become only the second woman to head a government, after Najla Bouden in Tunisia.
How will her appointment affect the country's political landscape? The PAM party, although in the lead, did not win an absolute majority, which may require the formation of a coalition.
El Mansouri was born in 1976, studied at the University of Montpellier and has experience working in local government. Her appointment highlights gradual changes in the role of women in Moroccan politics.
