Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri becomes Morocco’s first woman Head of Government. King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s new Head of Government, making her the first woman in the country’s history to hold the position.
The King received El Mansouri on Tuesday at the Royal Palace in Rabat and entrusted her with forming Morocco’s new government, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery.
The appointment was made in accordance with Article 47 of Morocco’s Constitution, the ministry said. El Mansouri is the coordinator of the collective leadership of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which finished first in Morocco’s September 23 parliamentary elections.
From Law to Politics
Born in Marrakech in 1976, El Mansouri trained as a lawyer and studied law at Mohammed V University before pursuing further legal studies in France and the United States. She later practiced law, specializing in business and real estate-related matters.
Her political career took a major step forward in 2009, when she became the first woman elected mayor of Marrakech. She held the position until 2015 before returning to the city’s leadership following the 2021 local elections.
The experience gave El Mansouri a long record in local government before she moved further into national politics. She was elected to Parliament and also held senior positions within PAM.
In October 2021, King Mohammed VI appointed her Minister of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy. She held the portfolio in the outgoing government while also serving as mayor of Marrakech.
Since 2024, El Mansouri has served as coordinator of PAM’s collective leadership, becoming one of the party’s senior figures.
A Historic Appointment
Her appointment as Head of Government marks a new milestone in a political career that has taken her from law and local government to Parliament, the national executive and party leadership.
It also represents a first for Morocco: no woman had previously headed the country’s government.
The appointment comes after PAM won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives in the September 23 legislative elections. El Mansouri will now have to form a government and build the parliamentary support needed to govern.
For El Mansouri, the path to Rabat began in Marrakech, where she first entered elected office as the city’s mayor. Fifteen years later, she has reached the highest position in Morocco’s government ever held by a woman.
Her next task is to form the new government.