NEWS
Morocco Breaks Gender Barrier, Names First Woman Prime Minister
Morocco Breaks Gender Barrier, Names First Woman Prime Minister
King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first woman prime minister, marking a historic breakthrough in the North African kingdom.
The 50-year-old lawyer, who was serving as Minister of Urban Planning and mayor of Marrakech, has been tasked with forming the country’s next government following last week’s parliamentary election.
El Mansouri’s appointment followed the victory of her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which emerged with the largest number of seats in the 395-member House of Representatives.
El Mansouri becomes only the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2023.
King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first woman prime minister, marking a historic breakthrough in the North African kingdom.
The 50-year-old lawyer, who was serving as Minister of Urban Planning and mayor of Marrakech, has been tasked with forming the country’s next government following last week’s parliamentary election.
El Mansouri’s appointment followed the victory of her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which emerged with the largest number of seats in the 395-member House of Representatives.
El Mansouri becomes only the second woman to head a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2023.
September 30, () – Morocco has broken a major political gender barrier with the appointment of Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first woman prime minister.
King Mohammed VI named the 50-year-old lawyer on Tuesday and tasked her with forming a new government, following the September 23 parliamentary elections in which her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the largest number of seats.
The appointment was announced by the Royal Palace after the King received El Mansouri at the Royal Palace in Rabat.
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Under Morocco’s constitutional system, the monarch appoints the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives.
El Mansouri, who had been serving as Minister of Urban Planning and as mayor of Marrakech, now faces the task of assembling a coalition capable of securing parliamentary backing for her government.
PAM won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, giving it the largest parliamentary bloc but leaving it far short of the 198 seats required for a majority.
The National Rally of Independents (RNI) won 66 seats, while Istiqlal secured 65. The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) won 54 seats and is expected to remain in opposition.
El Mansouri has indicated that PAM is prepared to work with other parties in forming the next administration.
However, coalition negotiations could prove complicated, with some opposition groups already ruling out participation in the government.
Her emergence as prime minister represents a significant development in Moroccan politics and makes her only the second woman to serve as head of government in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who held the position between 2021 and 2023.
Moroccos King Mohammed VI
Background
El Mansouri has been a prominent figure in PAM since the party was founded in 2008. She became one of its leading figures and served twice as mayor of Marrakech, including a return to the position in 2021.
She has also represented the city in Parliament and held the housing and urban policy portfolio in government.
She studied law at the University of Montpellier in France and rose through PAM’s ranks before becoming part of its collective leadership.
Her political background is closely connected to Morocco’s establishment. She is the daughter of Abderrahmane El Mansouri, a former senior local official and Morocco’s former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
The process that led to El Mansouri’s appointment has its roots in Morocco’s constitutional reforms following the Arab Spring protests of 2011.
Before those reforms, the King had greater discretion in selecting the head of government.
The amended constitutional framework requires the monarch to appoint the head of government from the political party that obtains the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections.
The constitutional change was part of measures introduced amid protests calling for greater political accountability and a stronger parliamentary system.
The new arrangement was first tested in the 2011 election, when the Justice and Development Party won the largest number of seats and its leader, Abdelilah Benkirane, was subsequently appointed head of government.
El Mansouri’s government is expected to inherit a demanding economic and social agenda.
Among its immediate priorities will be efforts to contain inflation, raise wages, and create employment, particularly amid concerns over unemployment and dissatisfaction among young Moroccans.
The government will also oversee major infrastructure and investment programmes tied to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain.