Morocco has broken a major political barrier after King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Zahra Mansouri as the country’s first woman Prime Minister and tasked her with forming a new government.
The 50-year-old Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) collective leadership coordinator was received by the King at the Royal Palace in Rabat on Tuesday, September 29, where she was formally appointed Head of Government.
“His Majesty the King received at the Royal Palace in Rabat Ms Fatima Zahra Mansouri, whom His Majesty the King appointed, in accordance with Article 47 of the Constitution, as Head of Government and tasked her with forming the new government,” Morocco’s Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery said in a statement.
Mansouri’s appointment follows the PAM’s victory in the September 23 legislative elections, where the party secured 97 of the 395 seats in Morocco’s House of Representatives.
Despite emerging as the largest party, PAM does not have enough seats to govern on its own. A parliamentary majority requires 198 seats, meaning Mansouri will need to reach agreements with other parties to secure enough support for her government.
Under the constitutional provision cited in her appointment, the King selects the Head of Government from the political party that wins the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives.
Mansouri brings years of political experience to the position. She has served as Minister of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy and has also been a member of parliament.
Her political career also includes a landmark role in local government. In 2009, she became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakech, a position she later regained after the 2021 local elections.
In 2024, she took over the collective leadership of PAM, further strengthening her position within the party before its success in the latest legislative elections.
Her appointment also places Morocco among the few North African countries to have a woman leading its government. Tunisia became the first in the region to appoint a woman prime minister when Najla Bouden took office in 2021.
Mansouri’s immediate challenge will be to form a government capable of winning parliamentary backing. Once established, the new administration will be responsible for addressing Morocco’s domestic priorities while overseeing major infrastructure and investment projects.
The government will also operate as Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.