Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri named Morocco's first woman prime minister

Morocco's king on Tuesday named Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, the mayor of Marrakesh, as the country's first woman prime minister, following her centre-right Authenticity and Modernity Party's (PAM) victory in last week's parliamentary elections.

The appointment marks a historic milestone in Moroccan politics, making El Mansouri the first woman to hold the country's top government post since the position was established.

A long political career

El Mansouri, who joined the PAM in 2008, has built a lengthy political career in Morocco. She became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh when she won the office in 2009, a position she held before losing it six years later.

She went on to reclaim the Marrakesh mayoralty in 2021, cementing her standing within the PAM and within Moroccan local politics more broadly ahead of her appointment to the premiership.

Her party's victory in last week's parliamentary elections paved the way for the king's decision to entrust her with forming a new government, in line with Morocco's constitutional process under which the monarch appoints a prime minister from the party that wins the most seats.

Details on the composition of El Mansouri's cabinet and the policy priorities of her incoming government have not yet been announced. Her appointment is expected to be closely watched both domestically and internationally as a significant moment for women's representation in Moroccan politics.

As prime minister, El Mansouri will now be tasked with forming a governing coalition and setting out the policy agenda for the PAM-led administration in the period ahead.