King Mohammed VI has appointed lawyer and former Marrakesh Mayor Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first female Prime Minister following the September 2026 elections, the royal palace said in a statement.
According to the statement, On Tuesday, 29 September 2026, the King received El Mansouri at the Royal Palace in Rabat to formally name her as the new head of government.
The decision followed the 23 September parliamentary elections, where her party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), secured a plurality with 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. Standing at the helm of PAM as the national coordinator of its collective leadership, El Mansouri succeeded outgoing Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
In her new role, El Mansouri is charged with directing executive governance, steering national economic strategy, and shaping social policy during a pivotal transitional phase for the North African nation.
Born on January 3, 1976, El Mansouri is a lawyer who was housing minister in the outgoing government and Marrakech mayor.She will lead talks to form a coalition government and submit a list of cabinet members for the king’s approval.
Her nomination to a key leadership position is not unprecedented; it aligns with a long-standing royal policy aimed at encouraging women to assume high-level responsibilities.
Moroccan women have previously held significant positions-most notably Zoubida Naciri, the first female advisor to His Majesty the King.
Zineb El Adaoui heads the Court of Auditors, one of the Kingdom’s most important constitutional institutions.
Amina Benkhadra leads the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), demonstrating the presence of qualified women in strategic sectors.
Successive Moroccan governments have appointed prominent women to ministerial posts and high-level public service roles.
This trend reflects the Royal Family’s ongoing commitment to fostering women’s participation in public life and decision-making processes.
The criteria for nomination and advancement to positions of responsibility are competence, merit, and the ability to deliver results-not gender.
El Mansouri’s nomination is a natural continuation of an institutional process that has recently enabled a significant number of Moroccan women to attain influential leadership roles.