Fatima Al-Zahra Al-Mansouri: Morocco’s First Woman Head of Government
Fatima Al-Zahra Al-Mansouri, named Head of Government by His Majesty the King on Sept. 29, is a Marrakech lawyer, PAM co-founder and former housing minister.
Photo: MAP
His Majesty King محمد السادس appointed Fatima Al-Zahra Al-Mansouri as Head of Government on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. She is the first woman to hold the post in the history of the Kingdom. Her appointment followed the victory of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) in the legislative elections.
A month into the role, her background as a lawyer, a local elected official and a minister still shapes much of the public discussion around her arrival at the top of government. Some wonder whether she will be judged on her own political record, or whether she will face added pressure to prove women’s capacity to govern more broadly.
Born in Marrakech in 1976
Fatima Al-Zahra Al-Mansouri was born in Marrakech on January 3, 1976, according to the biography released by MAP on the day of her appointment. She holds a licence in private law from Mohammed V University in Rabat, a postgraduate diploma in business contract law from the University of Montpellier, and a certificate in Anglo-Saxon law from Pace University in the United States.
She has been a member of the Marrakech Bar since March 22, 2005.
From PAM founder to party leader
Her political career began in 2007, when she joined the Movement for All Democrats. A year later, she was among the founding members of the Authenticity and Modernity Party.
She chaired the party’s National Council from 2015 to 2024. Since 2024, she has served as coordinator of PAM’s collective leadership.
Mayor, MP and minister
Locally, she presided over the communal council of Marrakech from 2009 to 2015, then returned to head it for the 2021–2027 term. In Parliament, she was elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 and re-elected for the 2016–2021 legislature.
In government, she held the portfolio of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy from 2021 to 2026, before her appointment as Head of Government.
International recognition
In 2014, Forbes placed her first on a list of the 20 most influential young women in Africa. The same year, she was named among the Young Global Leaders.
She is a member of the International Association of Francophone Mayors and vice-president of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Communal Councils. She is married and the mother of two children.
