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How was the post-election appointment made?

Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, now recorded as Morocco’s first female prime minister, has been tasked by King Mohammed VI with forming a government as one of the leading figures in the centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which won the most seats in last week’s parliamentary election. With this decision, El Mansouri became the second woman in the Arab world to head a government after Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden.

The 50-year-old El Mansouri’s name had been mentioned alongside Fouzi Lekjaa, another powerful figure within PAM and one of the administrators in Moroccan football. Although Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, the king holds much of the decisive power in the political system.

Under Morocco’s constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that finishes first in elections to the House of Representatives. However, PAM’s governance through a collective leadership structure rather than a single secretary-general since February 2024 has made this appointment process more transparent than in previous periods.

How does parliamentary arithmetic affect the new government?

PAM won 97 seats in the 395-seat parliament. While that result put the party first, it was not enough for it to govern alone.

  • The number of seats needed for an absolute majority is 198.
  • The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) increased its representation from 13 seats in the previous election to 54 seats.

Coalition options remain unclear

The first issue facing El Mansouri will be which parties will join the new coalition. PAM’s strained ties with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which led the outgoing government, are seen as one factor that could complicate negotiations.

PJD leader and former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane said after the election that his party would remain in opposition and would not enter into a partnership with PAM. This suggests that different alliance formulas may come into play as the new government is formed.

Who is Fatima Zahra El Mansouri?

Fatima Zahra El Mansouri studied law before continuing her education at Mohammed V University in Rabat; she later pursued business administration and corporate law studies in France and the United States. She entered politics after PAM was founded in 2008.

El Mansouri became Marrakech’s first female mayor in 2009 and returned to the post after the 2021 election. Over the past five years, she served as a minister in the areas of national land planning, urban development, housing and city policy under former Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

After taking over as coordinator of PAM’s leadership coalition in February 2024, El Mansouri did not answer directly when asked at the victory press conference whether state protocol would change for Muslim religious ceremonies. Despite ongoing debates in Morocco over issues such as the ban on polygamy and whether women and men should have equal inheritance rights, El Mansouri has made only limited public statements on women’s rights and gender inequality throughout her political career.

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