King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco's prime minister on September 29, 2026, making her the first woman to hold the post in the country's history. The appointment came days after a parliamentary election won by her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), and she must now form a coalition government.
Moroccan King Mohammed VI named Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as prime minister on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, according to PBS NewsHour and Dawn. She becomes the first woman to lead the Moroccan government, according to PBS NewsHour.
PBS NewsHour reported that the appointment came four days after the results of Morocco's parliamentary election were announced; Dawn described the vote as having taken place the week before the appointment. In that election, El Mansouri's centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, 31 more than the runner-up, Dawn reported. Under Morocco's constitution, reformed after the 2011 Arab Spring protests, the king is required to appoint the prime minister from the party that wins the most seats.
Who is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri
El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer who holds a law degree from the University of Montpellier in France, according to PBS NewsHour. She joined PAM in 2008, the year the party was founded as a political counterweight to Morocco's Islamist movement, Dawn reported.
She was first elected mayor of Marrakesh in 2009, lost the post six years later, and reclaimed it in 2021, per Dawn. She also served as Morocco's minister of national territorial planning, urban planning, housing and city policy, according to PBS NewsHour.
Her reaction and the significance
For the first time in our country's history, a woman is taking on the responsibility of leading the government. This is a source of pride not only for me but for all Moroccan women.
— Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, quoted by Dawn
UPI reported that El Mansouri described the appointment as a historic day for women in the kingdom and said it carried a message to all women there.
According to UPI, El Mansouri is the third woman to head a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia's Najla Bouden and Sarra Zaarfrani Zensri; UPI did not specify when each of them served. PBS NewsHour described her as the second woman to hold the post in the Arab world, citing only Bouden. The two outlets differ on the count, and NIVΞCTOR attributes each figure to its source.
What happens next
Because PAM fell short of an outright majority, El Mansouri must negotiate a coalition with other parties to form a government, both PBS NewsHour and Dawn reported. Dawn noted the election recorded the lowest voter turnout in two decades.
PBS NewsHour reported that El Mansouri will oversee billions of dollars in investment tied to Morocco's co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup, alongside pressure to address inflation, wages and employment. Dawn reported that PAM has pledged 5% annual economic growth, 2% inflation and the creation of 1 million jobs within five years, while El Mansouri faces the task of addressing unemployment, the cost of living and socioeconomic disparities affecting young people.
Women who have headed government in the Arab world
Name
Country
Period
Source
Najla Bouden
Tunisia
Not specified by sources read
PBS NewsHour, UPI
Sarra Zaarfrani Zensri
Tunisia
Not specified by sources read
UPI
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri
Morocco
Appointed September 29, 2026
PBS NewsHour, Dawn
Background: Morocco's political system
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy in which the king retains significant executive powers, including the appointment of the prime minister, but is bound by post-2011 constitutional reforms to select that person from the largest party in parliament, per PBS NewsHour. PAM, El Mansouri's party, had not previously won a national election since its founding in 2008.
Questions
Who appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco's prime minister?
King Mohammed VI appointed her on September 29, 2026, according to PBS NewsHour and Dawn.
Why was El Mansouri eligible to become prime minister?
Her Authenticity and Modernity Party won the most seats, 97 of 395, in Morocco's September 2026 parliamentary election, and Morocco's post-2011 constitution requires the king to pick the prime minister from the largest party, per Dawn and PBS NewsHour.
Is El Mansouri the first woman to lead an Arab government?
No. UPI reports she is the third, after Tunisia's Najla Bouden and Sarra Zaarfrani Zensri; PBS NewsHour describes her as the second, citing only Bouden. Sources differ on the count.
Does El Mansouri have a parliamentary majority?
No. Her party won 97 of 395 seats, short of a majority, so she must form a coalition government, according to PBS NewsHour and Dawn.
What is El Mansouri's professional background?
She is a lawyer with a law degree from the University of Montpellier in France, previously served as Morocco's housing and urban planning minister, and was twice elected mayor of Marrakesh, per PBS NewsHour and Dawn.
This piece was prepared with artificial intelligence and passed an automated source check before publication. If you see an error, ask for a correction. Request a correction or reply · How we make this
The Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has called it "unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle," criticizing the plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan on December 3. The Holy See says it plans to issue a formal statement, and Parolin noted that the US Catholic bishops' conference has also spoken out on the issue.
President Donald Trump has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, James Comey and other defendants over the 2016 election, after lower courts dismissed the case and imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions. Trump's lawyers argue the case was wrongly thrown out on statute-of-limitations grounds and that his time in office should have paused the legal deadline.
Rome's Labour Court on October 9, 2026 rejected an urgent appeal by journalist Sigfrido Ranucci seeking reinstatement as host of the RAI investigative programme Report, which he had led for nine years. Judge Donatella Casari ruled that choosing a programme's host falls within RAI's editorial prerogatives, and found no proof that political pressure had decisively shaped the broadcaster's decision. Ranucci said he accepted the ruling, while his lawyers said they would weigh further legal steps.
President Donald Trump announced on October 9, 2026, via Truth Social that Katie Zacharia, a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group, will become the next White House press secretary. She succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in late August after the birth of her second child, leaving the role vacant for about two months.
