Morocco appoints Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as first woman prime minister

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country's first female prime minister. El Mansouri, a 50-year-old lawyer and former mayor of Marrakech, leads the liberal-centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which won 97 of 395 parliamentary seats in the September 23, 2026, election. Because PAM lacks an outright majority, El Mansouri must negotiate a governing coalition. Her administration faces pressing economic challenges and will oversee up to $20 billion in investments for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Morocco's first female prime minister

• ▪Morocco's outgoing government included four female ministers, and King Mohammed VI has appointed a female adviser in recent years
• ▪Morocco's King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country's first female prime minister on September 29, 2026
• ▪Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri is the second woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world, following Tunisia's Najla Bouden, who held office from 2021 to 2023

Background of Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri

• ▪Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri previously denied allegations made by a group of unidentified hackers of conflict of interest regarding land transactions in Marrakech, calling them defamatory and taking legal action
• ▪Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri is a 50-year-old lawyer who previously served as Morocco's housing and urban planning minister and twice as the mayor of Marrakech
• ▪Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri is the daughter of Abderrahmane El Mansouri, a landowner, former head of Marrakech's bar association, and former Moroccan ambassador to the United Arab Emirates

Results of the 2026 parliamentary election

• ▪The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) was bolstered in Morocco's September 23, 2026, parliamentary election by recruiting Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco's football federation chief and former government budget manager, weeks before the vote
• ▪The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the September 23, 2026, parliamentary elections, securing 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives
• ▪The National Rally of Independents (RNI) won 66 seats, the Istiqlal Party won 65 seats, and the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) won 54 seats in Morocco's September 23, 2026, parliamentary election
• ▪Voter turnout for Morocco's September 23, 2026, parliamentary election fell to approximately 38% of Morocco's 15.8 million registered voters, down from around 50% in Morocco's 2021 parliamentary elections

Negotiations to form a governing coalition

• ▪Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri must negotiate with other political parties to form a governing coalition, as the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) fell short of an outright majority
• ▪Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri stated on September 24, 2026, that she has no "red lines" in coalition negotiations, turning the page on campaign disputes with the National Rally of Independents (RNI) over policy shortcomings including rising food prices
• ▪Justice and Development Party (PJD) leader Abdelilah Benkirane ruled out joining a coalition led by the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), claiming the election was "tainted by fraud."

Constitutional powers of the Moroccan monarchy

• ▪Under Morocco's constitution, a requirement introduced in 2011 following Arab Spring protests, the king must appoint the prime minister from the political party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections
• ▪Morocco is a constitutional monarchy where King Mohammed VI retains sweeping powers over foreign policy, defense, and other key portfolios

Debatable claims

• ▪The Moroccan monarchy retains too much power over the country's governance
• ▪El Mansouri's appointment is a genuine advancement for women's political empowerment in Morocco