Morocco’s first-ever female prime minister appointed by king

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In a landmark decision for the North African nation, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Urban Planning Minister Fatima Zahra Mansouri as prime minister, making the 50-year-old lawyer the first woman to hold the position in the kingdom.

Mansouri, who was also serving as the mayor of Marrakech until her selection, has been tasked with forming a new administration, according to an official statement from the Royal Palace. The announcement comes four days after the release of parliamentary election results, in which her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) secured the largest share of the vote.

She becomes only the second woman to serve as prime minister across the Arab world, following Najla Bouden's tenure in Tunisia. Due to Morocco’s electoral system, which makes it difficult for a single political group to win an absolute majority, she is expected to build a governing coalition in the coming days.

Her incoming administration will be tasked with overseeing billions of dollars in investments connected to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, alongside fulfilling pledges to combat inflation, increase earnings, and generate employment.

Under the Moroccan Constitution, the monarch serves as the country's highest authority and appoints the prime minister, but must select a candidate from the party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections. This legal requirement was introduced following Arab Spring demonstrations in 2011; prior to that reform, the monarch could name the prime minister without any such restriction.

Mansouri joined PAM upon its creation in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Himma, a childhood friend and close adviser to the king. A law graduate from the University of Montpellier in France, she rose to become one of the party's primary leaders in 2024, having previously served two terms as mayor of Marrakech and as a member of parliament.

She is the daughter of Abderrahmane El Mansouri, a former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and senior local official known as the "pasha of Marrakech", who also led the city's bar association and was a landowner.

Mansouri recently faced accusations of a conflict of interest after unidentified hackers alleged she had used her position for personal gain regarding land transactions in Marrakech. She denied the claims, calling them defamatory, and launched legal action.

Out of 15.8 million registered voters, one million backed the Authenticity and Modernity Party in last week's poll, delivering its first victory since its inception. The vote was the first held since the Ceuta migration crisis last July and deadly youth-led protests last year.

Attention now shifts to the assembly of the next government. While PAM has expressed a willingness to work with all political groups, several parties, including the moderate Islamist Justice and Development party and the left-wing Federation of Democratic Left, have announced they will remain in opposition.