Morocco’s Historic First Female Prime Minister: Symbolic Milestone or Catalyst for Reform?

Following the announcement that Morocco would appoint its first female head of government—Marrakech Mayor Fatima Zahra Mansouri—citizens interviewed by local television expressed largely enthusiastic reactions.

“It would be great to have a female prime minister for a change; she would lift our spirits,” one woman remarked.

“Why not give women a chance? We have never had a female head of government before,” said another. “May God bless her and guide her on the right path.”

“Regardless of who assumes the role, it should represent a change for the better in Morocco,” a man added.

However, skepticism persists. Some locals questioned how she would navigate official events where tradition and protocol dictate male-only attendance.

“People are saying a nation cannot succeed if a woman is in charge, even if she is only partially in charge,” one man told a reporter, referencing the fact that King Mohammed VI retains ultimate authority in national politics.

As a constitutional monarchy, Morocco holds elections, but the king wields supreme executive power. The head of government, or prime minister, leads the cabinet and administration and executes public policy.

The king selected Fatima Zahra Mansouri, the Minister of Planning and Mayor of Marrakesh, over Fouzi Lekjaa, head of Morocco’s football federation and Budget Minister. Both are senior members of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which secured the most seats in the September parliamentary elections.

“If you speak with Moroccans, some are genuinely proud to have a woman at the helm and see an opportunity for her to impact women’s representation in society,” confirms Anja Freudenreich, who heads the Morocco office of Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) in Rabat. “Others, however, view her appointment as mere symbolism.”

Mansouri will lead what is colloquially termed the “World Cup government,” as Morocco prepares to invest billions ahead of co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal. She is widely seen as having demonstrated leadership following the devastating 2023 earthquake.

Her appointment makes her the third woman to lead a government in the Arab world.

Will Mansouri Advance the Cause of Moroccan Women?

Observers agree that Mansouri’s appointment carries significant symbolic weight.

Two Tunisian women, Najla Bouden and current Prime Minister Sara Zaafarani, preceded Mansouri as heads of government in the Arab world. A 2022 survey by the Arab Barometer polling organization found that Tunisian attitudes toward women in power had shifted notably as a result.

Researchers attributed the change—with only 40% agreeing that “men are better at political leadership than women” in 2022, down from 56% four years prior—to a “role model effect,” noting no major shifts had occurred before Bouden and Zaafarani’s appointments.

According to a 2025 Arab Barometer survey, attitudes toward women’s roles have also been evolving in Morocco, and Mansouri’s tenure could accelerate this trend.

“We have already noticed how impactful this appointment is in terms of social and cultural norms,” said Stephanie Willman Bordat, co-founder of the Rabat-based advocacy organization Mobilizing for Rights Associates (MRA).

“People in public spaces—in cafes, on trains during their commute, and in everyday settings—are discussing women’s leadership and the taboo against women heading governments or supervising men. There is healthy public debate and dialogue on this issue.”

“On a global level, regarding women’s participation, this is genuinely encouraging,” Bordat, who has lived in Morocco for two decades, told DW. “Particularly when you consider the global climate of backlash and regression in women’s rights.”

“Mansouri’s premiership is certainly notable, as female leadership in the region remains rare,” Freudenreich of FES agreed. “It carries a highly symbolic character, and I am sure she does, or will have, a role model function for women and girls in Morocco and across the region.”

Continuity Over Radical Change

However, Mansouri is unlikely to initiate a major departure from established politics, Freudenreich suggested.

She is viewed as a pragmatist rather than a reformist—a quality likely to help her navigate the much-discussed protocol issues—and her party’s electoral manifesto lacks detailed commitments on women’s issues, Freudenreich noted.

Ahead of the September elections, MRA analyzed party platforms for women’s rights proposals. Mansouri’s PAM party offered only three specific policies.

Other parties were more vocal on women’s issues, with several pledging to update the Moroccan family code, or *Moudawana*. This legislation governs critical aspects of women’s lives, including child custody, divorce, property rights, marriage, polygamy, and domestic violence, and has not been revised since 2004.

Symbolism or Sincere Commitment?

In 2023, King Mohammed VI tasked the then-prime minister with exploring further updates to the family code. Discussions remain ongoing, and reforms are still pending, according to MRA’s Bordat.

“But what is really interesting is that now we can argue: if women can be heads of government, they can also be heads or co-heads of the family,” she argued.

The Moroccan king, who ascended the throne in 1999, has been broadly supportive of women’s rights, confirmed Ahmed Benchemsi, Advocacy and Communications Director for Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division. Still, his organization advocates for further improvements.

“With regard to women’s rights, a symbol will not serve women’s rights as much as legal reform,” Benchemsi told DW.

“Activism around women’s rights remains relatively permitted—an exception to the heightened governmental scrutiny and judicial proceedings against other areas of activism in Morocco,” the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote in a July 2025 commentary. “The king’s leadership on gender reforms creates space for this activity, as advocates often work in conjunction with parts of the government rather than against it.”

Amid popular discontent over the economy and high youth unemployment, “improving women’s status is a promise the government can deliver on in a challenging period,” the organization noted.

For now, Bordat argues that Mansouri’s appointment “shouldn’t be seen as something to be either celebrated or criticized.”

The country is still waiting to see how Mansouri will form a governing coalition, she noted. The number of female ministers appointed and the portfolios they receive will be closely watched.

After that, “the real question is what civil society organizations, NGOs, and citizens will do with this opportunity?” Bordat concluded. “That is, how do we hold all political parties and newly elected representatives accountable and engaged so we can continue to advance women’s rights in Morocco?”

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