Morocco names Fatima Zahra El Mansouri as first female prime minister

Fatima Zahra El Mansouri has been named Morocco’s first female prime minister after her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (Pam) won the most seats in last week’s parliamentary elections. King Mohammed VI chose her over Fouzi Lekjaa, the country’s football chief and a senior figure in the same party. El Mansouri, 50, has been mayor of Marrakesh.

Who is Fatima Zahra El Mansouri?

El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer by training. She studied at Mohammed V University in Rabat before continuing her education in France and the United States, specialising in business and corporate law. She entered politics after Pam was founded in 2008 and became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh in 2009. For the past five years she was minister for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy under former prime minister Aziz Akhannouch, and in February 2024 she became co-ordinator of Pam’s leadership coalition.

Is El Mansouri the first woman to lead a government in the Arab world?

No. El Mansouri is the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden. Her appointment makes her Morocco’s first female prime minister, following her party’s first-place finish in last week’s parliamentary elections.

What did El Mansouri say about women and religious ceremonies?

At a victory press conference before her appointment was announced, El Mansouri was asked whether the state would need to make changes to accommodate her in Muslim religious ceremonies attended by the king, including Friday and Eid prayers, where men and women pray in separate sections. She did not answer the question directly, praising King Mohammed VI instead 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.

During her political career El Mansouri has rarely spoken publicly about women’s rights or gender inequality, despite continuing debates in Morocco over issues including whether polygamy should be banned and whether men and women should have equal inheritance rights. She has rejected her portrayal as an “iron woman”, telling Pam’s magazine in 2021: “I am neither a woman of steel nor iron… I am a free activist.”

What happens next in Morocco’s parliament?

Pam won 97 seats in the 395-member House of Representatives, short of the 198 needed for an absolute majority, so it will need to form a coalition. It is not clear which party it will work with: Pam has fallen out with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which led the outgoing government in which Pam was a junior partner. The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) took 54 seats, up from 13 at the previous election, helped by the return of its leader Abdelilah Benkirane, a former prime minister. After the vote, Benkirane said the party would stay in opposition and refused a partnership with Pam.

How much power does Morocco’s prime minister have?

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, and most power remains in the hands of the king. Under the constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that comes first in elections to the House of Representatives. King Mohammed VI chose El Mansouri over Fouzi Lekjaa, the country’s football chief and a top politician from Pam. In the past the appointment was largely a formality, because most Moroccan parties were led by a single secretary general, making clear who would be nominated; Pam has been run by a collective leadership since February 2024.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Morocco’s new prime minister?

Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, a 50-year-old lawyer and long-serving mayor of Marrakesh, was named Morocco’s first female prime minister by King Mohammed VI after her party Pam won the most seats in parliament.

Is Morocco’s prime minister the first woman to lead an Arab government?

No. El Mansouri is the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden.

What happens next in Morocco’s parliament?

Pam holds 97 of the 395 seats, below the 198 needed for an absolute majority, so it must form a coalition, and it has fallen out with the National Rally of Independents, which led the outgoing government.

How is Morocco’s prime minister chosen?

Under Morocco’s constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that comes first in elections to the House of Representatives, although most power remains with the king.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)