The key facts

  • Fatimah Zahra El Mansouri became Morocco's first female prime minister; King Mohammed VI approved the 32-member cabinet in Rabat.
  • The government is formed by a coalition of four parties led by the Party of Authenticity and Modernity, which won the September 23 elections with 97 seats.
  • The cabinet includes seven women (previously six); a ministry of AI, digital transformation and administrative reform has been created, headed by Ahmed Rahhou.

Morocco's First-Ever Government Led by a Woman

On Friday, Morocco announced the formation of a new cabinet of ministers, headed for the first time in the country's history by a woman. According to the state agency Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), King Mohammed VI received the members of the new government led by Fatimah Zahra El Mansouri and held their appointment ceremony at the Royal Palace in the capital, Rabat. El Mansouri became the first Moroccan woman to hold the country's highest government post.

Composition of the Coalition and the Cabinet

The new government was formed by a four-party coalition: the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (El Mansouri's own party), the Istiqlal Party, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, and the Party of Progress and Socialism. The cabinet comprises 32 members, including ministers and ministers-delegate, according to official data. There are seven women in the government, including the prime minister, compared with six in the previous cabinet of Aziz Akhannouch.

Key Appointments

Abdelaoufi Laftit (minister of the interior), Nasser Bourita (minister of foreign affairs), Abdellatif Ouahbi (minister of justice), and Ahmed Toufiq (minister of Islamic affairs and endowments) retained their posts. For the first time, a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation and Administrative Reform was created, headed by Ahmed Rahhou.

Background to the Government's Formation

On Monday, the four parties announced in a joint statement the formation of a ruling majority upon the conclusion of the second round of consultations on forming a government, which began on September 30. On September 29, King Mohammed VI tasked El Mansouri with forming a government after her Party of Authenticity and Modernity took first place in the September 23 elections, winning 97 seats.