
King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first woman prime minister on Tuesday, tasking her with forming a new government after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most seats in last week’s parliamentary election, the royal palace said .
PAM secured 97 of 395 seats in the Sept. 23 vote, followed by the National Rally of Independents with 66 and Istiqlal with 65, according to official results. Turnout was 38%, the lowest in two decades .
El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer and former mayor of Marrakech, a role she first held in 2009. She has served as housing minister since 2021 and joined PAM’s three-member leadership in 2024 . The king, who retains broad powers under Morocco’s constitutional monarchy, selected her from PAM’s ranks as required by the constitution .
El Mansouri said she felt honored by the appointment and would begin talks with other parties to form a coalition, adding there would be “no red lines” in negotiations . Conservative religious circles have questioned how a woman could participate in the king’s religious ceremonies, but El Mansouri has praised Mohammed VI as the “greatest advocate of women’s rights” in Morocco .
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