Morocco picks its first woman to head government

Morocco has crossed a symbolic line, and then immediately run into the old problem of numbers. King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Zahra El Mansouri as the country’s first female prime minister after her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party, known as Pam, came first in last week’s parliamentary elections. It is a notable moment, though in politics symbolism tends to last exactly until the coalition talks start.

El Mansouri’s elevation also makes her only the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia’s Najla Bouden. The king chose her over Fouzi Lekjaa, Morocco’s football chief and a senior figure in the same party. Under the constitution, the monarch appoints the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives, and this time the choice was not merely a formality. Pam itself has been led by a collective leadership since February 2024, which rather neatly explains why the king had a real decision to make.

At 50, El Mansouri is already one of Morocco’s best-known politicians. Trained as a lawyer, she studied in Rabat before continuing her education in France and the United States, specialising in business and corporate law. She entered politics after Pam was founded in 2008, became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh in 2009, returned to that post after the 2021 elections, and also served in the previous coalition government as minister for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy. Since February 2024, she has co-ordinated the party’s leadership coalition.

Her public profile has not been built on loud campaigning for women’s rights. In 2021, she rejected the label of “iron woman” and described herself instead as a free activist. When asked at a victory press conference whether the state would need to adapt religious ceremonies attended by the king, including Friday and Eid prayers where men and women pray separately, she did not answer directly. Instead, she praised Mohammed VI as the country’s biggest advocate for women and called it an honour to be entrusted with the post.

The harder question now is governing. Pam won 97 seats in the 395-member parliament, far short of the 198 needed for an absolute majority. It will need partners, and the obvious ones are not exactly lining up. The party has fallen out with the National Rally of Independents, which led the outgoing government in which Pam was a junior partner. Meanwhile, the Islamist Justice and Development Party staged a comeback with 54 seats, up from 13 in the previous election, helped by the return of Abdelilah Benkirane. After the vote, he said his party would remain in opposition and would not join Pam.

So Morocco gets a first, and then the usual bargaining over who gets what, and who pretends to be surprised by that. The appointment is historic; the coalition arithmetic is less flattering. In a constitutional monarchy where the king still holds most power, the real test for El Mansouri will be whether she can turn a ceremonial breakthrough into a workable government.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com