Morocco makes history as Fatima Zahra El Mansouri becomes first female PM

Morocco has appointed Fatima Zahra El Mansouri as its first female Prime Minister after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most seats in parliamentary elections.

King Mohammed VI appointed the 50-year-old politician, choosing her over Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco’s football chief and a senior politician from the same party.

Her appointment makes her the third woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden and Sara Zaafarani.

El Mansouri is one of Morocco’s most prominent female politicians. She became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh in 2009 and returned to the position following the 2021 elections.

Between 2019 and 2024, she served as minister responsible for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy under former Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

In February 2024, she became the co-ordinator of the PAM’s leadership coalition after joining the party following its establishment in 2008.

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, although significant political powers remain with the king, including the appointment of the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections.

At a victory press conference before her appointment, El Mansouri was asked whether her position would require changes to arrangements surrounding Muslim religious ceremonies attended by the king, including Friday and Eid prayers, where men and women pray in separate sections.

She did not directly answer the question but praised King Mohammed VI as “the biggest advocate for women” in the country.

“His Majesty is the holder of wisdom… If I am entrusted with the responsibility of head of government, it will be a great honour,” she said.

El Mansouri trained as a lawyer and studied at Mohammed V University in Rabat before continuing her education in France and the United States, where she specialised in business and corporate law.

Despite her prominent political career, El Mansouri has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights or gender inequality, even as debates continue in Morocco over issues including polygamy and equal inheritance rights for men and women.

She has also rejected descriptions of her as an “iron woman”, telling PAM’s magazine in 2021: “I am neither a woman of steel nor iron… I am a free activist.”