Fatima Zahraa Al-Mansouri: A prominent political path and expectations under the leadership of the Moroccan government

Fatima Zahraa Al-Mansouri, a prominent leader in the Authenticity and Modernity Party, is at the forefront of the Moroccan political scene as one of the names strongly proposed to lead the next government after her party topped the legislative elections by winning 97 seats.

Al-Mansouri is considered one of the most prominent female figures in Moroccan politics, having gained extensive experience in local, parliamentary and governmental work for more than a decade.

Born in Marrakesh in 1976, Al Mansouri is a lawyer specializing in law. She studied at Mohammed V University before pursuing her career in France and the United States in the fields of business and corporate law.

Al Mansouri began her professional career as a lawyer at the Marrakesh Bar Association, where she worked in the field of civil and commercial law, which allowed her to gain practical experience in contract issues and legal disputes.

In addition to her work as a lawyer, she became involved in collective work, as she assumed the presidency of the French Law Students Association, and the (Monia) Association, which is concerned with heritage preservation.

After years of working as a lawyer, she joined political life with the founding of the Authenticity and Modernity Party in 2008.

Al-Mansouri's name rose to prominence at the national level in 2009 when she was elected mayor of the city of Marrakesh, becoming the first woman to assume the presidency of the city's municipal council, in a step that was considered at the time an important milestone in the path of Moroccan women's participation in the management of local affairs. She also returned to the position again after the 2021 elections.

In the legislative elections, Al-Mansouri served as a member of the Moroccan House of Representatives for several years, before King Mohammed VI appointed her in October 2021 as Minister of National Territorial Preparation, Reconstruction, Housing, and City Policy within Aziz Akhannouch’s government.

She also strengthened her party position in February 2024 by assuming the leadership of the Authenticity and Modernity Party, one of the most prominent parties in the government coalition, which made her one of the figures nominated to play larger roles at the national level.

Fatima Al-Zahraa Al-Mansouri is keen to present herself as a politician who made her path through party work and local management, not through slogans.

On more than one occasion, she stressed that the Authenticity and Modernity Party possesses “a vision and competencies ready to assume responsibility.” She also rejected the stereotype that describes her as the “Iron Lady,” as she told a French media outlet: “I am neither a woman of steel nor of iron... I am a free fighter.”

According to the Moroccan constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the party that leads the House of Representatives elections, which makes the name of Fatima Zahraa Al-Mansouri on the table as a potential candidate for prime minister.