King Mohamed VI has just appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as head of government after PAM topped the September 23 legislative elections with 97 seats, making her Morocco’s first-ever woman to hold this position.
El Mansouri is considered one of Morocco’s prominent women in politics, having gained years of experience at the local level, in parliament, and in government.
From a pasha’s daughter to a lawyer:
The new head of government, born in 1976, grew up not far from politics.
Her father, Abdelrahman El Mansouri, was a former head of the Marrakech Bar, a Pasha of the city, and Morocco’s former ambassador to the UAE.
In the late 1990s, her father received the UAE’s Order of Independence, First Class, for his efforts to strengthen ties between Morocco and the UAE during his tenure as ambassador.
El Mansouri studied at French schools in Marrakech before continuing her university studies at Mohammed V University in Rabat and at France’s University of Montpellier.
She obtained a private law degree, an advanced qualification in business contract law, and later studied Anglo-Saxon law at Pace University in New York.
Before entering politics, El Mansouri worked as a lawyer at the Marrakech Bar in 2005, specializing in real estate law.
She was also reportedly active in social and cultural work, leading the Association of French Law Students and later the Mounia Association, which focuses on preserving heritage.
Marrakech’s first woman mayor:
In 2008, El Mansouri began her political career when she joined the Authenticity and Modernity Party, founded by senior royal advisor Fouad Ali El Himma.
A year later, at just 33, she became mayor of Marrakech after winning 54 votes.
Her election made her the first woman to head Marrakech’s municipal council and the second woman mayor in Morocco, after Asmaa Chaabi, who led Essaouira’s municipal council from 2003 to 2009.
She held the post until 2015 before returning to city hall following the 2021 local elections.
El Mansouri was first elected to Parliament in 2011 and served until 2016. She then served as president of PAM’s National Council from 2015 to 2024, and since 2024, has been coordinator of the party’s collective leadership
From minister to head of government:
Following the 2021 elections, King Mohammed VI appointed El Mansouri, Minister of National Planning, Urban Planning, Housing, and City Policy in the former government, led by Aziz Akhennouch and formed by the RNI, PAM, and Istiqlal.
One of the flagship programs launched during her time as minister, under royal directives, was the housing support program (2024-2029).
It received more than 166,000 applications, with young people and women making up the majority of beneficiaries.
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