King Mohammed VI Appoints Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco's First Female Prime Minister
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri becomes Morocco's first female head of government after King Mohammed VI presided over the appointment of a new four-party coalition cabinet.
King Mohammed VI presided over the appointment and swearing-in of Morocco's new government on October 16, 2026, at the Royal Palace in Rabat. Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri becomes the first woman to serve as head of government in the country's history.
El Mansouri leads a coalition consisting of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), the Istiqlal Party, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS). The coalition holds between 207 and 210 seats in the 395-member House of Representatives following the September 23 elections. The cabinet includes 32 members, with 13 ministers retained from the previous administration, including Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit.
New appointments include Fouzi Lekjaa as Minister of Economy, Finance and Public Performance and Ahmed Rahhou, who will lead a newly established Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation and Administrative Reform. The government must now present its program to Parliament for a confidence vote.
The administration enters office facing public pressure to address unemployment, inequality, and the cost of living, while improving health and education services. Additionally, the government is tasked with managing the final stages of a $20 billion investment to prepare for the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
