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Morocco has entered a new political chapter with the appointment of Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Head of Government on September 29, 2026, making her the first woman to hold the position in the country’s history. Her appointment followed the parliamentary elections held on September 23, in which the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) emerged with the largest number of seats, winning 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. Because the party did not secure an outright majority, El Mansouri will need to form a governing coalition. The significance of this development extends well beyond the appointment of an individual politician. It raises broader questions about the position of women in political life, the changing nature of political leadership in Morocco, the relationship between representation and political power, and the evolving social expectations surrounding women in Moroccan society. It also carries a wider Arab dimension. According to current reporting, El Mansouri is only the second woman to serve as a prime minister or head of government in the Arab world, following Tunisia’s Najla Bouden. Her appointment therefore provides an important opportunity to examine not only what has changed, but also what remains unresolved. The central question is not simply whether a woman can reach the highest levels of political office. Morocco has now answered that question in practice. The more consequential question is what such an appointment means for political participation, institutional power, social expectations, and the future role of women in Morocco and the wider Arab …