Meet Fatima Zahra El Mansouri: Morocco’s first female Prime Minister who studied law in France and US
Fatima Zahra El Mansouri has become Morocco’s first female prime minister after King Mohammed VI appointed her to form the country’s next government. The 50-year-old lawyer and politician takes charge after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most seats in last week’s parliamentary election. The appointment came four days after the election results were announced. PAM won 97 of the 395 seats in Morocco’s House of Representatives, meaning it fell short of the 198 seats needed for an outright majority and will have to form a coalition to govern.El Mansouri was chosen by King Mohammed VI over Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco’s football chief and a senior politician from PAM, according to the BBC. Her appointment is also a first for Morocco. She is the first woman to serve as head of government in the country. As reported by Al Jazeera, she is the third woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, who served from October 2021 to August 2023, and Tunisia’s current Prime Minister Sara Zaafarani, who was appointed in March 2025.
30 Sept 2026 | 13:34
If a young woman in the audience remembers only one thing from your conversation today, what would you want her to remember?
El Mansouri studied law in Morocco, France and the US before entering politics.
Who is Fatima Zahra El Mansouri?
El Mansouri was born in Marrakesh in 1976 and trained as a lawyer. According to Al Jazeera, she obtained a diploma in advanced studies from the University of Montpellier in France and also studied Anglo-Saxon business law at New York University. As reported by the BBC, she studied law at Mohammed V University in Rabat before continuing her education in France and the US, where she specialised in business and corporate law. Her political career began at the local level. As reported by AL Jazeera, she became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh in 2009. She returned to the post following the 2021 elections. She also served successive terms as a member of Morocco’s House of Representatives. El Mansouri joined PAM after the party was founded in 2008. She became one of its top leaders and, in February 2024, became the coordinator of its collective leadership.In October 2021, she joined the national government as Minister of National Spatial Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy under then Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. Her portfolio included issues such as urban planning, housing support and spatial development. Al Jazeera also noted her involvement in files linked to the rehousing of people affected by the 2023 Al Haouz earthquake.
Her party won 97 of 395 seats in Morocco’s 2026 parliamentary election.
What did El Mansouri say about becoming PM?
After her appointment, El Mansouri described the moment 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 in a televised address, according to Al Jazeera. “This is a source of pride not only for me but for all Moroccan women,” she said.Her comments came after she had faced questions at a victory press conference about how her role would fit with Muslim religious ceremonies attended by the king. As reported by the BBC, she was asked whether changes would be needed to accommodate her at Friday and Eid prayers, where men and women pray in separate sections. El Mansouri did not directly answer the question. Instead, she praised King Mohammed VI as “the biggest advocate for women” in the country. “His Majesty is the holder of wisdom… If I am entrusted with the responsibility of head of government, it will be a great honour,” she said.El Mansouri has also rejected being described as an “iron woman”. In a 2021 interview with PAM’s magazine, she said: “I am neither a woman of steel nor iron… I am a free activist.” The BBC reported that she has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights or gender inequality during her political career.
What happens next?
El Mansouri’s immediate task is to put together a coalition government. Morocco’s constitution provides that the king appoints the head of government from the party that comes first in elections to the House of Representatives. PAM’s 97 seats, however, are well short of the 198 needed for a majority. El Mansouri has said there would be “no red lines” in coalition talks, while some parties have already indicated that they will remain in opposition. The Justice and Development Party, for example, won 54 seats and its leader Abdelilah Benkirane said the party would not join a government with PAM, according to the BBC.The new government will also face major economic and development priorities. As reported by AP, billions of dollars in investments are expected to be linked to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco is scheduled to co-host with Portugal and Spain. The government is also expected to address promises related to inflation, wages and job creation. Morocco is a constitutional monarchy in which the king retains significant powers. Under the constitutional system, however, the head of government is chosen from the party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections, a change introduced after reforms following the 2011 Arab Spring protests.For El Mansouri, the appointment adds the country’s highest government office to a political career that has already included serving as Marrakesh’s first female mayor, a member of parliament and a cabinet minister. She now has to build a coalition and lead the government as Morocco prepares for major spending and development linked to the 2030 World Cup.
