Morocco has appointed Fatima Zahra El Mansouri as its first female prime minister after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) secured the largest number of parliamentary seats in the country’s latest elections.
King Mohammed VI selected the 50-year-old politician to lead the next government, choosing her over fellow PAM figure and national football chief Fouzi Lekjaa.
El Mansouri becomes only the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s former Prime Minister Najla Bouden.
A trained lawyer, El Mansouri studied at Mohammed V University in Rabat before pursuing further education in France and the United States, where she specialised in commercial and corporate law.
She joined politics after PAM was established in 2008 and made history the following year by becoming Marrakesh’s first female mayor. She later returned to the position after the 2021 elections.
Her political career has also included a ministerial role covering territorial development, urban planning, housing and city affairs during Aziz Akhannouch’s administration. In February 2024, she became coordinator of PAM’s collective leadership.
Following the election results, El Mansouri said the final choice of prime minister rested with the monarch.
She also praised King Mohammed VI as a strong supporter of women when questioned about her participation in religious ceremonies attended by the king.
Morocco operates as a constitutional monarchy, although the king retains significant political authority.
Under the constitution, the monarch appoints the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives.
PAM obtained 97 of the 395 parliamentary seats, leaving it short of the 198 seats needed for an outright majority.
The party must therefore negotiate with other political groups to establish a governing coalition.
Its relationship with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which headed the previous administration, has deteriorated, leaving uncertainty over PAM’s potential coalition partners.
Meanwhile, the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) made a significant recovery, increasing its representation from 13 seats to 54.
Party leader and former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane, however, has ruled out joining a government with PAM and said the party will remain in opposition.
El Mansouri has previously rejected descriptions portraying her as an “iron woman”, saying she considers herself a free political activist.
Despite her prominence, she has generally avoided making extensive public comments on contentious gender issues, including inheritance equality and proposed restrictions on polygamy.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong