Who Is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri? The Lawyer Appointed as Morocco's First Woman PM

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri has become Morocco's first woman head of government, breaking a political barrier after a career that took her from law to the mayor's office in Marrakesh and eventually into national government.

King Mohammed VI appointed the 50-year-old on Tuesday, 29 September, at the Royal Palace in Rabat and tasked her with forming a new government. Her appointment followed the 23 September parliamentary election, when her Authenticity and Modernity Party, known as PAM, emerged as the largest party with 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives.

Who Is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri?

El Mansouri was born in Marrakesh in 1976 and trained as a lawyer before entering politics.

She studied private law in Rabat before pursuing further legal studies at the University of Montpellier in France and Pace University in the US, later working as a lawyer specialising in property and commercial matters. She has been registered with the Marrakesh Bar since 2005.

Her first major political breakthrough came in 2009, when she became the first woman elected mayor of Marrakesh. It was already a significant milestone. Marrakesh is one of Morocco's largest and most internationally recognised cities, and El Mansouri's election placed her among a small number of women leading major cities in the region at the time.

She served until 2015 before returning to the mayoralty in 2021 as her influence in national politics continued to grow.

From Housing Minister To Head of Government

Before her latest appointment, El Mansouri served as Morocco's Minister of National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing and City Policy from 2021 to 2026. She also rose through PAM, becoming part of a three-person collective leadership alongside Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid and Salah Eddine Aboulghali in 2024, with El Mansouri serving as coordinator.

PAM was founded in 2008 and became a major force in Moroccan politics, positioning itself against the Islamist Justice and Development Party while advocating social modernisation. The party entered the 2026 election as part of the outgoing governing coalition before overtaking Aziz Akhannouch's National Rally of Independents.

PAM secured 97 seats, compared with 66 for the RNI and 65 for the Istiqlal Party. Under Article 47 of Morocco's constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the political party that finishes first in elections to the House of Representatives.

El Mansouri Now Needs A Coalition

Her historic appointment does not give PAM enough seats to govern alone. An absolute majority requires 198 seats, leaving the party needing coalition partners to form a government capable of commanding parliamentary support.

El Mansouri has said she has no 'red lines' in coalition negotiations, despite tensions between PAM and some former governing partners during the election campaign. Her government will inherit pressure over jobs, wages and living costs while overseeing major infrastructure preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

For El Mansouri, the appointment marks another first in a political career already defined by one. Seventeen years after becoming Marrakesh's first woman mayor, the former lawyer is now the first woman tasked with leading Morocco's government. Her rise also marks a significant milestone for women nationwide.