In brief
King Mohammed VI has named Fatima Zahra El Mansouri the country’s first female prime minister, a move that has ignited debate across Morocco. The appointment follows a victory for her Authenticity and Modernity Party which gained the most seats in the September parliamentary election. While some men welcomed the decision as a sign of the king’s choice, conservative clerics and commentators have cited an Islamic saying that people who entrust their affairs to a woman will never succeed. Internet users have shared satirical videos, yet many young Moroccans, especially women, see the historic appointment as a milestone. The new leader faces the challenge of advancing controversial reforms on inheritance, polygamy and the family code while operating under a constitutional monarchy that limits the power of the head of government.
King Mohammed VI has made history by appointing Fatima Zahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first female prime minister. The decision followed her party’s winning of the most seats in the September parliamentary election and the formation of a coalition that controls 207 of 395 seats.
El Mansouri — a 50 year old lawyer who has served as mayor of Marrakech, minister for national territory planning and housing and member of the House of Representatives — accepted the role as a milestone for Moroccan women, saying the appointment was ‘the first step toward new opportunities.’
Reaction to the appointment has been mixed. A conservative religious saying that people who entrust their affairs to a woman will never succeed has resurfaced, and a former justice minister posted a long Facebook message questioning the decision. At the same time, local media gathered men on the street and found most agreed that the king had the authority to choose her, though many still expressed discomfort with a woman heading the government.
Online satire has spread, with a widely shared video showing two women pulling each other’s hair to illustrate potential parliamentary battles. Yet younger Moroccans, especially women, applaud the historic step and hope it will translate into tangible reform.
Morocco remains a constitutional monarchy; the king retains broad powers, while the prime minister shares executive responsibilities within the legislatures limits. For any push toward reforming the family code, known as the Moudawana, El Mansouri will need to work with religious scholars who largely oppose changes to inheritance and polygamy laws.
The family code currently permits a daughter to inherit half what a son receives and allows polygamy under certain conditions. In 2022, Morocco’s National Human Rights Council warned that these unequal inheritance rules contribute to poverty among women.
Despite her qualifications and party popularity, El Mansouri has yet to publicly outline a strategy or timing for pushing reforms to inheritance, polygamy or the Moudawana. Her background as a privileged daughter of a former pasha and diplomat sets her apart from many other Moroccan women who face limited public life opportunities.
Experts describe her appointment as authoritarian state feminism, an intentional move to project modernisation while keeping the political and social system largely unchanged. Whether the new prime minister will convert symbolic progress into substantive policy remains to be seen.
