King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, as Morocco’s prime minister. She is the first woman to hold the post in the kingdom and the third to lead a government in the Arab world.
The royal palace announced the appointment in a statement on Tuesday, tasking El Mansouri, who is urban planning minister and mayor of Marrakesh, with forming a new government.
In a televised address, El Mansouri described her appointment as “truly historic.”
“For the first time in our country’s history, a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government,” she said. “This is a source of pride not only for me but for all Moroccan women.”
The king’s decision came four days after the results of last week’s elections were declared. El Mansouri’s monarchy-aligned Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most votes and took 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament.
That is well short of the 198 seats required for an outright majority, so building a coalition will be El Mansouri’s first job as prime minister.
PAM, which was founded in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Himma, a friend of the king, has said it is willing to work with all parties. Several, including the Justice and Development Party (PJD) and the Federation of Democratic Left, have said they will stay in opposition.
The coalition that emerges will oversee the allocation of billions of dollars in investment ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco, Portugal and Spain are set to host, with Morocco taking the leading role.
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri follows Najla Bouden, who served as Tunisia’s prime minister from October 2021 to August 2023, and Sara Zaafarani, Tunisia’s current prime minister, who took office in March 2025.
Born in Marrakesh in 1976, El Mansouri studied law. She earned a diploma in advanced studies from France’s University of Montpellier and a diploma in Anglo-Saxon business law from New York University in the United States.
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri began her career in local government early, winning election as mayor of Marrakesh in 2009 and becoming the first woman to hold the office in the city.
After her first term ended, she returned to head the Marrakesh municipal council following the 2021 elections. She has also built up parliamentary experience, having been elected to the House of Representatives over several terms.
In October 2021, she moved into national government as Minister of National Spatial Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy.
Her ministry’s portfolio during her tenure included the direct housing support programme, reforms tied to urban planning and spatial development, and the rehousing of people affected by the 2023 Al Haouz earthquake.
