Historic Milestone in Rabat as Morocco Forms New Government Under First Female Prime Minister
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The Arab Post
- . October 17, 2026
- . Update: October 17, 2026 3:57 pm
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri became the first woman to be sworn in as Prime Minister when she and her new Cabinet took their oaths of office Friday, October 16, 2026. Morocco forms new government, Chosen Morocco new government in a highly awaited royal event, held in Rabat, the country’s capital, on Thursday, September 30, 2017.
El Mansouri becomes the first woman to be appointed as the country’s first female prime minister, marking a major step for women to take charge of political decision-making in the region. This week’s new Moroccan government, confirmed by the king, has a 32-member cabinet with 19 full ministers and 11 ministers-delegate. Significantly, the new government has seven female ministers and pledges to become the first government since the previous government to have such a high number of women at the top.
El Mansouri was able to secure a 207-th Mayoritarian Parliamentary victory in a week of intensive negotiations, according to Africanews. Her new government is a combination of her centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) with the Istiqlal Party, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS).
Before becoming the first woman to lead the country, El Mansouri built a strong political profile as the Mayor of Marrakesh, serving as Minister of National Planning, Housing and Urban Policy. She has a successful history of urban development which is likely to shape the state’s coming infrastructure modernization.
Sovereign Continuity and Economic Reshuffles
The royal palace decided to keep some of the key sovereign ministers to run the country’s affairs in a stable manner, both geopolitically and internally. Nasser Bourita will retain his position as Foreign Minister, while Abdelouafi Laftit will remain in charge of the Interior Ministry, which is the most powerful ministry, according to the state run Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP). Abdellatif Loudiyi remained in his strategic position as Minister Delegate for National Defense, too.
The reshuffle, however, brought new faces on to the cabinet in the wake of the economic challenges the country was facing. Interestingly, the former budget minister and the head of the football federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, was appointed as the new Minister of Economy and Finance. Moreover, the government put in place a forward-looking Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation and Administrative Reform whose head is Ahmed Rahhou.
The Urgent Road Ahead – Morocco forms new government
Political pundits from Al Jazeera say this new empowered coalition is under immediate and intense public scrutiny. Ensuring that Morocco forms new government, the second key milestone is that the cabinet will need to quickly tackle the challenge of the high level of youth unemployment, persistent droughts affecting the agriculture sector and rising prices.
Moreover, the government will be held accountable for overspending on huge infrastructure projects to gear up the country for hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The World Bank has estimated these mega-projects to influence the country’s economy; their successful management and in keeping with the national budget will be the economic test of El Mansouri’s time.
The short time it took the Moroccan government to approve its new cabinet gives it a clear impression of continuity that it projects to the international markets. The world is watching Rabat now as the first female prime minister to lead the government is poised to see if this historic government can bring about any concrete socio-economic changes. To keep up to date with legislation, check the House of Representatives‘ bulletins.
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