Morocco Enters New Chapter: Who Is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Its First Woman Prime Minister?
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri has become the first woman to lead Morocco’s government after King Mohammed VI appointed her prime minister on September 29, 2026, tasking her with forming a new administration following an election won by her Authenticity and Modernity Party.
The appointment is historic, but the political test begins immediately. El Mansouri must build a governing coalition, respond to economic and social pressures affecting younger Moroccans and oversee a crucial phase of preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri becomes Morocco’s first woman prime minister
King Mohammed VI appointed El Mansouri after PAM finished first in the September 23 parliamentary election with 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives.
The National Rally of Independents won 66 seats, Istiqlal secured 65 and the Justice and Development Party took 54, according to final Interior Ministry results.
Profile News previously covered the Morocco election 2026 and the parliamentary shift that left no single party with a majority.
That means El Mansouri’s first major political task is to negotiate a coalition capable of securing sufficient parliamentary support to govern.
Who is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri?
El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer specializing in real estate law. She was born in Marrakesh on January 3, 1976 and comes from a prominent family in the city, according to news agency profiles published after her appointment.
She studied law in Morocco, France and the United States before practicing as a lawyer in Marrakesh.
She became a founding member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party in 2008 and was elected president of Marrakesh’s city council in 2009, becoming the first woman to hold the position.
El Mansouri entered parliament in 2011 and returned to lead Marrakesh’s municipal council following the 2021 election. In 2024, she became coordinator of PAM’s collective national leadership.
From Marrakesh politics to the premiership
For much of her career, El Mansouri was closely associated with Marrakesh and municipal politics even as her influence within PAM grew nationally.
She served in the outgoing government as minister of national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy, overseeing files that included Morocco’s direct housing support program.
The 2026 election pushed her into the center of national politics after PAM won the largest bloc in parliament.
A challenge to rebuild youth confidence
The election recorded turnout of roughly 38%, the lowest level since 2007, against a backdrop of concerns about jobs, living costs and the quality of public services.
El Mansouri made younger Moroccans a central theme of her election campaign, arguing that political leaders needed to respond with practical solutions rather than rhetoric alone.
The broader context includes youth-led Gen Z 212 protests in 2025 demanding improvements in health and education, as well as the mass migration crisis at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in the summer of 2026.
One million jobs and 5% growth: campaign pledges face the governing test
PAM campaigned on promises that included creating at least one million jobs over five years and targeting average annual economic growth of 5%, alongside measures aimed at purchasing power, healthcare, education and social protection.
Those pledges will now face the transition from campaigning to governing once El Mansouri completes coalition negotiations and presents her government’s program.
World Cup 2030 and Morocco’s strategic agenda
The new government will also oversee a major phase of infrastructure and investment as Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Foreign policy and other strategic portfolios remain areas in which Morocco’s king retains broad constitutional authority. Issues including Western Sahara and Morocco-Israel relations remain part of the country’s wider external policy landscape.
What happens next?
El Mansouri must now negotiate a coalition, agree on cabinet positions and develop a government program before the new administration’s political direction can be assessed in full.
The appointment marks a first in Morocco’s political history. The next test will be whether the new coalition can translate campaign commitments into policies while managing a fragmented parliament and high public expectations.
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