Morocco's first female prime minister, Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, was appointed by King Mohammed VI on 18 October 2026, after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (Pam) won the most seats in September's parliamentary election. She has since formed a coalition with three other parties, controlling 207 of the 395 seats in parliament. The appointment marks a breakthrough for women in Moroccan politics, but has also reignited public debate over religious conservatism and women's role in leadership.
Within days of the announcement, Mustafa Ramid, a former justice minister in an Islamist-led government, cited a well-known Islamic saying in a Facebook post: "a people who entrust their affairs to a woman will never succeed." He argued that Morocco had already found a balance between gender equality and state leadership because the highest office, the king, remains reserved for men.
On the streets, reactions were mixed. A video from broadcaster Chouf TV showed several men expressing discomfort at the idea of a woman leading the government, with one saying: "It feels strange to have a woman as head of government. I'm not sure if it sits well with me." Others said they accepted the decision because it was the king's choice, reflecting the monarch's authority in a country where criticism of the monarchy can carry legal risks.
Many younger Moroccans, especially women, welcomed the appointment. Chifae Laazouzi, a young woman, said she hoped El Mansouri would improve education for girls in rural areas, where only 55 per cent of girls aged 15 to 17 attend school, according to the country's statistics agency. She also called for free menstrual products in schools, noting that menstrual health remains a taboo.
El Mansouri, 50, is no newcomer to politics. She has served as mayor of Marrakech, held government posts, and was minister for national territory planning, housing and city policy under the previous prime minister. After her appointment she said it was "not just a source of pride for me, but for all the women of the kingdom." However, she has not indicated whether she will push for reforms to the Moudawana, Morocco's family code, which governs inheritance, marriage, divorce and child custody. The code remains a contentious issue: women's rights groups want equal inheritance and curbs on polygamy, while the Higher Council of Ulemas, the country's religious scholars, has resisted change, citing Islamic jurisprudence.
Dr Irene Fernandez-Molina, an expert on the Global South at the University of Exeter, described the appointment as "authoritarian state feminism, a top-down, selective instrumentalisation of the struggle for women's rights for regime legitimation purposes." She noted that turnout for the election was just 38 per cent, a two-decade low, suggesting the appointment may be aimed at projecting modernisation rather than signalling genuine reform.
Women's rights advocate Yasmina Benslimane said the appointment broke a "ceiling that was never broken" but added that "it matters how she got there." El Mansouri's father was a pasha and diplomat, and Benslimane argued that her privileged background and networks distinguish her from most Moroccan women. For many activists, reform of the Moudawana remains the key test of the new government.