Morocco's King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country's first female prime minister, making her only the second woman in the Arab world to lead a government.

El Mansouri, 50, is the long-time mayor of Marrakesh. Her appointment follows last week's parliamentary election, in which her party, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), came first with 97 seats.

Under Morocco's constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in elections to the House of Representatives.

PAM does not hold a majority and will need to form a coalition to reach the 198 seats required for an absolute majority in the 395-member parliament. It is not yet clear which party it will partner with, as PAM has fallen out with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), which led the outgoing government in which PAM was a junior partner.

The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) rebounded strongly, winning 54 seats, up from just 13 in the previous election, boosted by the return of former prime minister and party leader Abdelilah Benkirane. After the vote, Benkirane said the party would remain in opposition and refused a partnership with PAM.

The appointment was not a straightforward formality. PAM has been led by a collective leadership since February 2024, rather than a single secretary general, leaving the king to choose between El Mansouri and another senior party figure, Fouzi Lekjaa. After the election results were announced, El Mansouri said the final decision rested with the king.

A lawyer by training, El Mansouri studied at Mohammed V University in Rabat before continuing her education in France and the United States, specialising in business and corporate law.

She entered politics after PAM was founded in 2008 and became the first woman to serve as mayor of Marrakesh in 2009, returning to the post after the 2021 elections.

In the five years prior to her appointment, she served as minister for national territory planning, urban planning, housing and city policy under former Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. In February 2024, she became the co-ordinator of PAM's leadership coalition.

At a press conference held before her formal appointment was announced, El Mansouri was asked whether the state would need to make adjustments to accommodate her in Muslim religious ceremonies attended by the king, including Friday and Eid prayers, where men and women pray in separate sections. She did not answer the question directly, instead praising the king.

"His Majesty is the holder of wisdom... If I am entrusted with the responsibility of head of government, it will be a great honour," she said.

El Mansouri has also pushed back against characterisations of her as a tough political operator. In an interview with PAM's magazine in 2021, she said: "I am neither a woman of steel nor iron... I am a free activist."

During her political career, she has rarely spoken publicly about women's rights or gender inequality, despite ongoing debates in Morocco over issues such as whether polygamy should be banned and whether men and women should have equal inheritance rights.