By Malek Fouda Published on 30/09/2026 - 6:21 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Mansouri is only the second woman in the Arab world to hold the office of prime minister. Her established political career has seen her serve as mayor of Marrakesh and member of parliament previously. Morocco's King Mohammed VI named Urban Planning Minister Fatima Zahra Mansouri as the country's prime minister on Tuesday, making the 50-year-old attorney the first woman to hold the office in the Muslim kingdom. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Mansouri, who until her nomination also was the mayor of Marrakech, was tasked with forming a new government, the Royal Palace said in a statement. The announcement came four days after results of parliamentary elections were announced, with Mansouri’s centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party, or PAM, scoring the highest votes. Mansouri, the second woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world after Najla Bouden in Tunisia, is expected to build a coalition in the coming days to form a government. Morocco’s electoral system makes it difficult for a single party to win an absolute majority. Fatima el-Mansouri takes part in an electoral rally for Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) in Tangier ahead of September parliamentary elections, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026 Mosa'ab Elshamy/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved Her government is expected to make billions of dollars in investments linked to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, while seeking to deliver on promises to fight inflation, raise wages and create jobs. The Moroccan Constitution gives the king, who is the country’s highest authority, the power to appoint the prime minister, but he must choose from the party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections. That was a change successfully pushed by Arab Spring protesters in 2011. Before that, the king could name the prime minister without any such restriction. Fatima el-Mansouri takes part in an electoral rally for Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) in Tangier ahead of September parliamentary elections, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026 Mosa'ab Elshamy/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved Mansouri joined PAM upon its creation in 2008 by Fouad Ali el-Himma, a childhood friend and close adviser to the king. A law graduate from the University of Montpellier in France, Mansouri became one of the party’s top leaders in 2024. She twice served as mayor of Marrakech and was a member of parliament. Mansouri is the daughter of the “pasha of Marrakech” Abderrahmane el-Mansouri, a senior local official who was also Morocco’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, headed Marrakech’s bar association and was a major landowner. A woman casts her vote inside a polling station during the legislative elections in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026 Mosa'ab Elshamy/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved She faced accusations of conflict of interest after a group of unidentified hackers claimed she had used her position for personal gain regarding land transactions in Marrakech. Mansouri denied the allegations, called them defamatory and took legal action. One million of the 15.8 million registered voters in last week’s election voted for the Authenticity and Modernity Party, marking its first win since its creation. The election was the first since the Ceuta migration crisis last July and deadly youth-led protests last year. People walk next to the walls of the old Medina on Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026 Mosa'ab Elshamy/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved After the royal nomination, the focus shifts to the coalition that will form the next government. PAM has expressed its willingness to work with all parties, but some, including the moderate Islamist Justice and Development party and left-wing Federation of Democratic Left, have announced no plans of such collaboration, insisting they will remain in the opposition. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more Morocco votes for new parliament amid hopes and concerns over cost of living Russians vote in elections with no party opposing Putin or war in Ukraine Russia holds nationwide Duma elections as war in Ukraine reshapes vote Moroccan Parliament Parliamentary elections Prime Minister Morocco Comments
World
North Korea slams South's claim it was behind DMZ mine blasts, calling it a 'farce'
• What happened: North Korea's Kim Yo-jong rejected South Korea's claims that it was responsible for recent mine blasts injuring three South Korean so...