Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Zahra El Mansouri as prime minister, making her the first woman to head the country’s government. The appointment came on 29 September 2026, days after legislative elections held on 23 September, according to Al Jazeera. The royal palace has asked her to form a new government, PBS News reports. Her appointment as Morocco’s first woman prime minister now turns on whether she can assemble a working majority.
Contents
- A lawyer who became mayor, then minister
- The vote and the coalition arithmetic
- The in-tray waiting for her
- Steps to watch in October
- Common questions
A lawyer who became mayor, then minister
El Mansouri, who is 50, was born in Marrakesh in 1976 and studied law at the University of Montpellier in France. Al Jazeera adds that she also studied at New York University. She became mayor of Marrakesh in 2009, the first woman to hold that post, and has served as minister of national spatial planning since October 2021. PBS News says she became a top leader of her party in 2024 and that her father, Abderrahmane El Mansouri, was a prominent local official and Morocco’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
The appointment also has a regional footnote. Al Jazeera notes she is the second woman to lead an Arab government, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who was prime minister from October 2021 to August 2023.
The vote and the coalition arithmetic
Her party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), was founded in 2008 and is widely described as aligned with the monarchy. Al Jazeera reports it won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, the largest bloc but well short of the 198 needed for a majority. PBS News describes the result as the party’s first electoral victory since its creation.
Morocco’s electoral system makes single-party majorities unusual, so coalition talks are the next phase. PAM has said it is willing to work with other parties. Two potential partners have ruled themselves out: both outlets report that the Justice and Development Party, a moderate Islamist party, and the left-wing Federation of Democratic Left will stay in opposition. The arithmetic therefore depends on other parties that have not yet publicly committed.
The in-tray waiting for her
PBS News lists the pressures on the new government: heavy public investment linked to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will host jointly with Portugal and Spain; inflation; wage demands; and job creation. The World Cup is a fixed deadline that shapes the budget, and partner countries watch delivery closely. For context on one co-host, see our earlier report on Madrid’s housing protests. For the wider regional economic picture, read our summary of the EBRD’s growth outlook for Africa.
Steps to watch in October
The constitutional task now is to present a government. Watch for which parties join PAM, how many ministries it concedes, and whether economic portfolios stay with technocrats or go to coalition partners. Neither source reviewed gives a date by which the government must be formed, so any timeline quoted elsewhere should be checked against an official announcement. Investors and foreign governments will read the cabinet list as the first real signal of policy direction.
Common questions
Who is Fatima Zahra El Mansouri?
She is a lawyer and politician born in Marrakesh in 1976, who studied law at the University of Montpellier in France. She has been mayor of Marrakesh since 2009 and held the national spatial planning portfolio in government since October 2021, according to Al Jazeera.
How many seats did her party win?
Al Jazeera reports the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. A majority requires 198 seats, so PAM needs coalition partners.
Is she the first woman to lead a government in the Arab world?
No. Al Jazeera notes she is the second Arab woman to become prime minister, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who served from October 2021 to August 2023.
Which parties have said they will stay in opposition?
Both Al Jazeera and PBS News report that the Justice and Development Party and the Federation of Democratic Left said they would remain in opposition.
What are the first tasks for the new government?
PBS News lists billions in investment tied to hosting the 2030 World Cup, reducing inflation, raising wages and creating jobs.