Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri becomes Morocco's first woman Prime Minister

Key facts

• Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri was appointed as Morocco's first woman Prime Minister (head of government) by King Mohammed VI on September 29, 2026, and was asked to form a new government.
• Her appointment came six days after Morocco's parliamentary elections held on September 23, 2026.
• Her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won 97 of 395 seats in the House of Representatives, emerging as the largest party, followed by the National Rally of Independents (RNI) with 66 seats and the Istiqlal Party with 65 seats.
• She is only the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia's Najla Bouden, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2023.
• El Mansouri, aged 50, is a lawyer who became the first woman mayor of Marrakesh in 2009 and later served as Morocco's minister for national planning, urban development, housing and urban policy under outgoing Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
• PAM fell short of the 198 seats needed for a majority, so El Mansouri must negotiate a coalition; the Justice and Development Party (PJD) won 54 seats in the election.
• Voter turnout in the September election fell to around 38 per cent, reflecting political disengagement and dissatisfaction over economic and social issues.
• A key task of the new government will be preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
• PAM had campaigned on a pledge to create one million jobs and expand investment in social sectors.