Morocco appoints first Woman as head of Government.

Morocco has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as its first woman head of government, marking a significant development in the country’s political history and the latest stage in its evolving approach to women’s participation in public life.

King Mohammed VI appointed Ms El Mansouri on 29 September, following Morocco’s 2026 legislative elections, and tasked her with forming a new government. She is the coordinator of the collective leadership of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM).

Her appointment comes after more than two decades of legal, constitutional, and institutional changes aimed at expanding women’s rights and participation in Moroccan society.

One important step came in 2004, when Morocco reformed its Family Code, known as the Moudawana. The reform was intended to strengthen women’s legal position within the family and formed part of wider efforts to modernise family law.

The 2011 Constitution further established equality between women and men. Article 19 states that men and women enjoy equal civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights and freedoms, while also committing the state to work towards parity.

Women have also gained greater access to senior positions within state institutions. During King Mohammed VI’s reign, Zoulikha Nasri became a royal adviser and was widely recognised as the first woman to hold that position.

Economic participation has formed another part of this wider process. Since the launch of the National Initiative for Human Development in 2005, programmes have supported training, economic integration and income-generating activities, including initiatives involving women.

Political representation has also increased. In the 2021 legislative elections, 96 women secured seats in the House of Representatives, including 90 elected through regional constituencies and six through local constituencies.

The 2021 figure represented a substantial change from earlier decades. Parliamentary data show that only two women were members of the House of Representatives in 1993, compared with 96 following the 2021 election.

Ms El Mansouri’s appointment therefore places women’s political representation at the centre of Morocco’s latest institutional transition. Her new role also shifts attention from the symbolism of becoming the first woman in the position towards the responsibilities attached to leading the government.

Her immediate task will be to form the new government and respond to the priorities that emerged from the 2026 legislative elections. The election took place on 23 September, with 395 seats contested in the House of Representatives.

The appointment also reflects the gradual expansion of women’s participation in Moroccan public institutions. Women have increasingly occupied parliamentary, ministerial and senior administrative positions, although representation has not yet reached parity.

For younger generations, the development provides another example of women entering positions that were previously held exclusively by men. Its longer-term significance will depend on how effectively the new government performs its responsibilities and whether broader participation continues across public institutions and society.

Morocco’s political evolution therefore combines institutional continuity with gradual change. The appointment of its first female head of government adds a new chapter to that process, while placing greater responsibility on Ms El Mansouri to translate historic representation into the practical work of governing.

Senior Correspondent-Amara Kargbo

Email: kargboamara079@gmail.com

Tel: +232 73111507