King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s head of government on Tuesday, making her the first woman to lead the country’s executive, a statement from the royal palace said.
El Mansouri, 50, takes the post after the party finished first in the September 23 parliamentary election with 97 of the House of Representatives’ 395 seats.
Under Article 47 of Morocco’s Constitution, the King appoints the head of government from the political party that finishes first in elections to the House of Representatives.
El Mansouri now faces the task of forming a governing coalition, with PAM well short of the 198 seats required for a parliamentary majority.
The former Marrakesh mayor served in the outgoing government as minister of national territory planning, housing and city policy and has been one of PAM’s three collective leaders since 2024.
Born in Marrakesh in 1976, El Mansouri studied law at France’s University of Montpellier before working as a lawyer.
She entered municipal politics with PAM and became mayor of Marrakesh in 2009, the first woman to hold the post.
She served until 2015 before returning as mayor following the 2021 local elections.
