Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, lawyer and mayor of Marrakech, who was appointed Tuesday by King Mohammed VI as Morocco’s first female Head of Government, declared the nomination a “historic moment for our country” and pledged to deliver practical answers to citizens’ expectations, especially those of young people.
Speaking to the press immediately after her audience at the Royal Palace in Rabat, El Mansouri said she felt “honored” to have been received by the Sovereign and tasked with forming the new government.
The meeting, she added, gave her the King’s high orientations for the period ahead.
“This is the first time a woman has been appointed to head a government, which is a source of pride for me and for all the women of the country,” she stated, describing the decision as a strong signal of the monarch’s continued support for Moroccan women and a call for them to contribute fully alongside the nation’s other forces.
She announced that internal consultations within her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) would begin the same day, followed by talks with other political parties, with the goal of proposing a government “up to the expectations of His Majesty the King and of all citizens.”
“We are perfectly aware of the importance of this stage and of the great expectations of citizens, particularly young people,” El Mansouri said.
“We will draw up a program offering realistic and concrete solutions,” she said.
Born on 3 January 1976 in Marrakech, El Mansouri holds degrees in private law from Mohammed V University in Rabat, a DEA in business contract law from the University of Montpellier, and a certificate in Anglo-Saxon law from Pace University.
A lawyer specializing in land and real-estate law since 2005, she co-founded the PAM in 2008, became Marrakech’s first woman mayor in 2009 (returning to the post in 2021), served as an MP, chaired the party’s National Council, and held the Housing and Urban Planning portfolio from 2021 until her elevation to Head of Government.
In 2014 she was ranked among Africa’s 20 most influential young women by Forbes and named a Young Global Leader. She is married with two children.
The appointment follows the PAM’s first-place finish in the 23 September legislative elections with 97 seats. El Mansouri now faces the task of building a governing coalition short of an absolute majority.
