Fatima-Zahra El Mansouri: A Key Player in Morocco's Legislative Elections

Fatima-Zahra El Mansouri: Leading the Charge for PAM

As Morocco approaches its legislative elections on September 23, Fatima-Zahra El Mansouri emerges as one of the most prominent figures representing the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which currently holds the position of the second-largest force in the House of Representatives with 87 seats. In her multifaceted roles as a minister, the mayor of Marrakech, and the national coordinator of her party's collegiate leadership, she is running for election in the Medina-Sidi Youssef Ben Ali constituency—where she has previously secured wins in both 2016 and 2021. This local election, for her, is part of a much larger national contest.

At 50 years old, Fatima-Zahra El Mansouri is no stranger to Moroccan politics. Born in Marrakech on January 3, 1976, and trained as a lawyer with a law degree from the University of Montpellier, she has built her political career within the PAM, which was established in 2008. The following year marked a significant milestone in her career as she became the mayor of Marrakech, breaking barriers as the first woman to lead the city and the second woman ever to head a major Moroccan municipality, following Asmaa Chaâbi in Essaouira.

The majority of her career has been shaped in the ochre city of Marrakech. Serving as mayor from June 2009 to September 2015, she regained the presidency of the municipal council in September 2021 after the local elections held on September 8. During the intervening years, she solidified her influence within the national structures of the PAM, presiding over the National Council since 2016.

Her Dual Role: Local Leader and National Figure

El Mansouri's return to the mayoralty coincided with her appointment on October 7, 2021, as the minister of National Territory Development, Urbanism, Housing, and City Policy in Aziz Akhannouch's government, a position she still holds. This unique combination of local governance experience and ministerial responsibilities is relatively rare among the leading figures in the current electoral campaign. Her dual presence is at the heart of her campaign strategy, where she emphasizes infrastructure projects, urban planning, and renovation efforts initiated by the municipality. However, her opponents can juxtapose these achievements against the daily expectations of residents and, more broadly, the record of the ruling government coalition of RNI-PAM-Istiqlal, which has been in power since 2021.

The political landscape is expected to shift in February 2024, following the departure of Abdellatif Ouahbi from the leadership of PAM. The party is set to adopt a collegiate leadership structure, with Fatima-Zahra El Mansouri coordinating alongside Mohamed Mehdi Bensaïd and Fatima Saadi. Her campaign for the 2026 elections has positioned her in a leading role, as she travels from Marrakech to Tangier, Berkane, Dakhla, and Benguérir, holding numerous meetings to promote PAM's agenda, unveiled on September 1 in Rabat under the slogan "To Change Course." This program is structured around five pacts and twenty commitments, with an estimated additional cost of 350 billion dirhams over the period from 2027 to 2031, including 150 billion solely dedicated to enhancing purchasing power. The party also aims to create at least one million net jobs during the upcoming legislative term.

El Mansouri emphasizes that this program should be viewed as a five-year contract rather than a mere collection of electoral promises. Key issues such as purchasing power, youth employment, housing, and public services frequently recur in her campaign speeches. Her visibility also raises another question within Moroccan media: could she become the first woman to lead the Moroccan government? Although this speculation is circulating, it lacks any declared institutional candidacy. On September 9, Mehdi Bensaïd, also part of PAM's collegiate leadership, refrained from designating her as the party's automatic candidate for the Prime Minister post in the event of victory, also mentioning Fouzi Lekjaa, the Minister Delegate for Budget and president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, who has recently joined the party. According to Bensaïd, El Mansouri has previously ruled out any coalition between PAM and RNI should the latter emerge victorious in the elections.

However, her campaign has not been without its challenges. During the summer of 2025, she faced a series of digital leaks attributed to the Jabaroot collective, which accused her of conflicts of interest regarding family real estate transactions in Marrakech—accusations she has contested vigorously. Regardless, the constitutional framework remains clear: Article 47 of the Constitution stipulates that the King appoints the head of government from the party that achieves the most votes in the House of Representatives. Therefore, the identity of the next head of the executive will largely depend on the electoral outcome on September 23.

For Fatima-Zahra El Mansouri, the immediate challenge is to retain her seat in Marrakech while gauging the national electoral weight of a party that has spent five years in the government majority. The results of the elections on September 23 will reveal whether her local and governmental record resonates beyond her Marrakech stronghold.

As reported by afrik.com.