By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-10-06 09:37:00 | Updated at 2026-10-06 10:31:36
1 hour ago
MOROCCO · POLITICS
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri is a lawyer, a former mayor of Marrakech and Morocco’s first woman head of government. King Mohammed VI appointed her on 29 September 2026, six days after her party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), won the most seats in parliament.
She matters abroad because Morocco is a US free-trade partner, a 2030 World Cup co-host and a key player in the Western Sahara dispute. As of 6 October 2026 she is still negotiating a majority, and no cabinet has been announced.
Key Facts
- —What it is El Mansouri, 50, is Morocco’s first woman head of government, a post most media call prime minister. King Mohammed VI appointed her on 29 September 2026.
- —Why it matters PAM won 97 of 395 seats on 23 September 2026. She must build a majority that can win a confidence vote.
- —The numbers A majority needs 198 seats. One option reported on 5 October 2026 reaches 207 with three allies.
- —The catch No cabinet had been named by 6 October 2026. Reports differ on whether PAM has ruled out the National Rally of Independents (RNI), the outgoing government’s lead party.
- —Who is who Allies in talks include Nizar Baraka of Istiqlal and Driss Lachgar of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP). The Justice and Development Party (PJD) says it will stay in opposition.
- —What it means for you Foreign policy, the army and religion remain with the King. Housing, jobs and living costs will be shaped by her coalition.
Who Is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri?
El Mansouri was born on 3 January 1976 in Marrakech. Her father, Abderrahman El Mansouri, headed the Marrakech Bar and also served as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, according to Hespress.
She studied private law at Mohammed V University in Rabat and business contract law at the University of Montpellier in France. She has been registered with the Marrakech Bar since 2005, specialising in land and property law.
From Marrakech Lawyer to Mayor
El Mansouri joined the Movement of All Democrats in 2007 and helped found PAM in 2008, according to Yabiladi. In June 2009, aged 33, she became mayor of Marrakech. Hespress calls her the first woman to head the city’s municipal council.
A court annulled the vote in one district that year, but an appeals court reversed the ruling, Bladi reported. She served until 2015. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 and re-elected in 2016.
She won back city hall on 17 September 2021 with 79 council votes, Bladi reported.
Housing Minister in the Akhannouch Government
On 7 October 2021 King Mohammed VI appointed her Minister of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy in the cabinet of Aziz Akhannouch of the RNI.
Her flagship measure is direct housing aid, launched in January 2024. It pays about US$10,000 (MAD 100,000) for homes priced up to about US$30,000 (MAD 300,000), and about US$7,000 (MAD 70,000) for homes up to about US$70,000 (MAD 700,000). MAD means Moroccan dirhams, converted here at about 10 per US$, the rate on 6 October 2026.
By June 2026 about 105,000 people had received aid, according to Morocco World News.
Critics cite the September 2023 Al Haouz earthquake. An official said in September 2025 that reconstruction in Al Haouz province was over 91 per cent complete, with lower rates elsewhere, but a victims’ group said in October 2025 that hundreds of families still lacked aid. In July 2025 she denied social media allegations of irregular land sales, saying her late father bought the land privately in 1978, and announced legal action.
How She Leads the Authenticity and Modernity Party
PAM was founded in 2008 and is usually described as centrist and liberal. Carnegie analyst Sarah Yerkes notes that a top royal adviser formed it, that it stays close to the palace, and that it faced corruption allegations before the vote.
El Mansouri chaired its National Council from January 2016 to February 2024. In February 2024 PAM replaced its secretary-general with a three-person collective leadership, with her as coordinator. Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid and Fatima Saadi are the other two members.
On 1 September 2026 PAM presented a programme promising one million net new jobs and a cut in unemployment from 10.8 per cent to 7 per cent by 2031. It costs about US$35 billion (MAD 350 billion) over 2027 to 2031, and Atalayar says the financing remains uncertain.
How Morocco’s System Works
Under Morocco’s 2011 constitution, Article 47 has the King appoint the head of government from the party that comes first in the House of Representatives election. He then appoints ministers on that person’s proposal. The government must win a confidence vote from an absolute majority of the House’s members under Article 88.
The King chairs the Council of Ministers, is supreme head of the armed forces and, as Commander of the Faithful, oversees religion. He accredits ambassadors and can dissolve parliament.
The 2026 Election and the Coalition Maths
Morocco voted on Wednesday 23 September 2026. Final tallies on 25 September matched the provisional results, and turnout was 38.08 per cent.
PAM won 97 of 395 seats, the RNI 66 and Istiqlal 65. The PJD, which led governments until 2021, rose from 13 seats to 54. Our election results story has the first-night figures.
A majority needs 198 seats. The main options are these.
PAM, RNI and Istiqlal, 228 seats: The 2021 trio. The RNI says it is ready, but some PAM members voiced opposition at a party meeting on 3 October 2026.
PAM, Istiqlal, USFP and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), 207 seats: Le360 and Hespress report that El Mansouri favours this grouping. Istiqlal, the USFP and the PPS form the “Koutla”, a long-standing alliance. The total clears 198 by nine seats.
Other options: PAM and Istiqlal alone reach 162 seats. Adding the Popular Movement and the Constitutional Union gives 208, a narrow majority Assahifa calls fragile.
The timeline as of 6 October 2026:
30 September to 1 October: First round at PAM headquarters. The PJD declines, having voted on 26 September to stay in opposition.
3 October: PAM’s National Council gives her and a negotiating committee a unanimous mandate to lead the talks, and Istiqlal votes to take part. Istiqlal’s leader says PAM has ruled out the RNI, then retracts, and PAM denies a formal decision.
5 to 6 October: Second round with the PPS and USFP. Le360 reports that PAM has set aside the RNI, while Hespress calls its place uncertain. The PPS Central Committee meets on 6 October, and we could not confirm its decision.
Who Are the Other Parties?
Our guide to the parties and the palace adds background.
PAM, 97 seats: Centrist and close to the palace. Led by a trio under El Mansouri. It stresses women’s rights and decentralisation.
RNI, 66 seats: Centre-right, liberal and business-friendly. Led since February 2026 by Mohamed Chouki, after Aziz Akhannouch stepped aside.
Istiqlal, 65 seats: Founded in 1944. Centre-right, stressing social justice inside a market economy. Led by Nizar Baraka.
PJD, 54 seats: Islamist-rooted, focused on transparency and anti-corruption. Led by Abdelilah Benkirane. It will sit in opposition.
Popular Movement, 29 seats: Centrist, with rural roots. Led by Mohamed Ouzzine. It stresses agriculture and does not rule out joining.
USFP, 26 seats: Centre-left socialist party backing a welfare state and workers’ rights. Led by Driss Lachgar.
PPS, 19 seats: Left-wing successor to the Moroccan Communist Party, stressing social justice and human rights. Led by Nabil Benabdellah.
Constitutional Union, 17 seats: Centre-right and free-market, focused on institutional stability. Led by Mohamed Joudar.
Six smaller parties and alliances hold the other 22 seats.
What Prediction Markets Say
A Polymarket market titled “Next Prime Minister of Morocco? (Invested)” showed El Mansouri at 94.8 per cent on 6 October 2026, with about US$33,900 traded. Mohamed Ouzzine was at 2.9 per cent, Mohamed Chaouki at 0.5 and Nizar Baraka at 0.55.
The market settles only when a head of government wins the confidence vote in the House of Representatives. Her appointment on 29 September is therefore not the end point, and the price reflects traders’ bets that her coalition will pass that vote. It is not a forecast by The Rio Times.
What It Means for You
US readers: The two countries have had a free-trade agreement since 1 January 2006. The US Trade Representative put two-way trade in goods and services at about US$9.6 billion in 2025. Washington recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara on 10 December 2020.
Western Sahara: On 31 October 2025 the United Nations (UN) Security Council adopted Resolution 2797 by 11 votes to none, backing talks on the basis of Morocco’s autonomy proposal. The mandate of the UN mission there expires on 31 October 2026. Foreign policy stays with the palace, so the cabinet is not expected to change Rabat’s line, as our guide to Morocco’s geopolitics explains.
Investors, expats and travellers: Morocco co-hosts the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain, confirmed on 11 December 2024. The talks do not by themselves change visa or travel rules, and our guide to Morocco’s role in Africa covers the region.
What Is Not Known
We do not know whether the RNI will be in or out, how the PPS Central Committee decided on 6 October 2026, or where the USFP stands. The cabinet list and its date are unknown.
We found no report on whether she will keep the Marrakech mayoralty or on the outcome of her legal action over the land allegations.
The next milestones are the PPS decision, the cabinet list and the House of Representatives’ confidence vote. They will show how far a first woman head of government can set the agenda where the palace holds key powers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri?
Also spelled Fatima Zahra Mansouri, she is a Moroccan lawyer born in Marrakech on 3 January 1976. She was mayor of Marrakech, housing minister from 2021 and coordinator of the collective leadership of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). King Mohammed VI appointed her head of government on 29 September 2026.
Is El Mansouri already Morocco’s prime minister?
She holds the title of head of government, the post English-language media call prime minister, since her appointment on 29 September 2026. As of 6 October 2026 she is still negotiating a coalition, and no cabinet has been announced.
How many seats does a majority need?
A majority in the House of Representatives needs 198 of 395 seats. PAM won 97, so it needs partners. The government must win a confidence vote from an absolute majority of the House’s members.
Who chooses Morocco’s head of government?
The King does. Article 47 of the 2011 constitution says he appoints the head of government from the party that comes first in the House of Representatives election. He then appoints ministers on the head of government’s proposal.
Which parties could join her coalition?
Istiqlal has voted to take part, and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces and the Party of Progress and Socialism are in talks. The National Rally of Independents says it is ready, but reports differ on whether PAM will accept it. The Justice and Development Party says it will stay in opposition.
Will her appointment change Morocco’s Western Sahara policy?
The cabinet does not set that policy. Foreign policy stays with the King, who accredits ambassadors under Article 55 of the constitution. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted on 31 October 2025, tells the parties to negotiate on the basis of Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
What did she do as housing minister?
From 7 October 2021 she led the ministry of national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy. Her ministry launched direct housing aid in January 2024, which had reached about 105,000 people by June 2026. A victims’ group says hundreds of families still lack aid after the 2023 Al Haouz earthquake.
