Morocco's king appoints Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, the first woman to lead the government

18 October 2026

The royal palace announced on 29 September 2026 that Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri had been appointed prime minister of Morocco. She is the leader of the Authenticity and Modernity Party, which won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. She is 50 years old, was mayor of Marrakesh, and was appointed in October 2021 as Minister of National Spatial Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy. She is the first woman to hold the role in Morocco and the third woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world. She called the appointment truly historic and said that for the first time in the country's history a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government. An outright majority in the chamber requires 198 seats.