Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri becomes Morocco’s first woman Head of Government

On Tuesday 29 September 2026, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, His Majesty King Mohammed VI received Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, appointed her Head of Government and charged her with forming the new government. The coordinator of the collegial leadership of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) becomes the first woman to lead a government in Morocco’s history, a post often described as prime minister in English-language media. She succeeds Aziz Akhannouch of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), Head of Government since September 2021.

The official announcement

The appointment was announced the same day in a communiqué from the Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery:

“The Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery announces that His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, received this Tuesday 17 Rabii II 1448 AH, corresponding to 29 September 2026, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, Ms Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, coordinator of the collegial leadership of the Authenticity and Modernity Party, whom the Sovereign appointed, pursuant to Article 47 of the Constitution, Head of Government and charged with forming the new government.”

Communiqué of the Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery, Rabat, 29 September 2026 (translated from French)

Article 47 of the Constitution provides that the King appoints the Head of Government from the political party that comes first in the elections to the House of Representatives.

Six days after the vote

Voters went to the polls on Wednesday 23 September 2026 to elect the 395 members of the House of Representatives, with turnout of about 38% among 15.8 million registered voters. The PAM came first with 97 seats, up from 87 in 2021, and was the only party to pass one million votes on the regional lists. It is the first time since its founding in 2008 that the party has topped a legislative election, and the first time it has been called on to lead a government. The results are covered in detail in our article on the 23 September 2026 legislative elections.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, who headed the PAM list in the Marrakech Médina-Sidi Youssef Ben Ali constituency, was herself elected to the House.

A first in Morocco’s history

Born in Marrakech on 3 January 1976, a lawyer at the city’s Bar since 2005 and a founding member of the PAM in 2008, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri became the first woman elected Mayor of Marrakech in 2009, and the second woman mayor in Morocco’s history. She returned to City Hall in 2021. First elected to the House of Representatives in 2011, she served from 2021 to 2026 as Minister of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy in the government of Aziz Akhannouch. In that role she oversaw the Direct Housing Aid programme, which had more than 108,000 beneficiaries by June 2026. Since February 2024, she has coordinated the PAM’s collegial leadership. Her career is traced in our profile, Who is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri?

Speaking to the press after the royal audience, she reflected on the significance of the moment:

“This is a historic moment. For the first time in our country’s history, a woman will shoulder the responsibility of heading the government.”

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, remarks to the press after the royal audience, Rabat, 29 September 2026

She added that the period now opening will be decisive and full of expectations.

The next steps

The rest of the process is set by the Constitution. The Head of Government must now:

• propose the members of the government to the King;
• present the government programme to both chambers of Parliament;
• obtain the confidence of the House of Representatives.

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri said consultations would begin on the day of her appointment, first within the PAM and then with all political parties, so that a proposal for a government can be presented to the King as soon as possible.

A programme for 2027-2031

The PAM went into the elections with its programme “To change course. One word!”, presented on 1 September 2026. It sets out five charters and twenty measurable commitments, at an estimated additional cost of about MAD 350 billion over 2027-2031. In an interview with the MAP news agency on 21 September 2026, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri described it as a five-year contract with the citizen. The five charters cover:

• purchasing power;
• youth integration;
• citizenship;
• strategic security;
• growth and sustainability.

The government programme will be presented to Parliament once the government has been formed. The priorities she championed during the campaign are set out on the Vision page.

To learn more about her path, read her biography.

Discover the PAM, its history and its programmeThe 2027-2031 programme in detail