Morocco's first woman PM El Mansouri secures 207-seat, four-party majority

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, the first woman to be named head of government in Morocco, announced on Monday, October 12, 2026, that she has put together a four-party majority to form the country's next government. Her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) will govern with the Istiqlal Party, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS). Together they hold 207 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives, nine more than the 198 needed for a majority. The announcement came after two rounds of consultations with parties in parliament, and talks now move on to choosing ministers and writing the government programme.

Being appointed is only the first step for a prime minister in a parliamentary system; the real test is whether she can command a majority. El Mansouri has now cleared that test within two weeks of her appointment, and with a margin that does not depend on any single small party. That matters for her authority. A leader who is seen to have built her own coalition, rather than inherited one, starts with more room to set the agenda and to hold partners to it.

The choice of partners also tells a story. By leaving out the RNI, the second-largest party, El Mansouri has opted for a coalition she describes as politically coherent rather than the biggest possible one. Keeping four parties together through cabinet talks and a budget will require the same negotiating skill that the first two rounds of consultations demanded of her.

For women in leadership, the significance is plain. El Mansouri earlier became mayor of Marrakech in 2009, aged 33, and she now leads the process of forming Morocco's government at a time when the country faces a tight budget deadline. Her path, from city hall to party leadership to head of government, shows experience gained in local office being carried to the national level. How she handles the next stage, filling cabinet posts and getting the finance bill through, will shape how her leadership is judged.

There is also a lesson in how she has framed the job. Instead of simply counting seats, she has stressed standards for those who will serve as ministers. Whether those standards hold when parties press for posts will be one of the first real tests of her style.

Short-term: The four parties will now put forward candidates for ministerial posts while negotiations continue on the shape of the cabinet and the government programme. With the 2027 Finance Bill due by October 20, El Mansouri has days, not weeks, to finish.

Long-term: If the coalition holds, Morocco will be led for its next term by a woman who built her own majority, a precedent that is likely to matter for women's political careers in the country and across the region. A stable four-party government would also give clearer direction on the budget and economic policy.

Who is affected: Moroccan citizens and businesses waiting for a new government and budget; the four coalition parties and the RNI, now in opposition; and women in politics in North Africa and the Arab world who look to her rise as an example.

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