RABAT, September 30, 2026: Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first female prime minister, tasking her with forming a new government after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged as the largest party in the September 23 parliamentary elections.
The 50-year-old El Mansouri, a lawyer and former mayor of Marrakech, secured the appointment after PAM won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. The National Rally of Independents (RNI) won 66 seats, while the Istiqlal Party secured 65.
Coalition Talks Ahead
PAM fell well short of the 198 seats required for an outright majority, meaning El Mansouri will need to negotiate with other parties to form a governing coalition. Under Morocco’s constitutional system, the king appoints the head of government from the party that wins the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives.
El Mansouri has previously served as mayor of Marrakech and as minister responsible for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy. Her appointment makes her the second woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who held the position from 2021 to 2023.
The new government will face economic and employment challenges, while also overseeing major preparations and investment linked to Morocco’s role as a host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.