HANAN HART

MOROCCO– Since the formation of the first Moroccan government in the 1950s, the position of head of government has remained distant from women, despite the transformations their presence in political life has witnessed and their gradual participation in decision-making positions.

Does the arrival of Fatima Zahra Mansouri to the presidency of the Moroccan government on 29 September constitute a breakthrough of one of the most prominent "glass ceilings" that prevented women from reaching the highest decision-making positions for decades? What could this transformation mean for Moroccan women? And does it open the way for a broader and more effective presence of women in decision-making centers?

The Necessity of Moving from Struggle Quantity to Quality

Human rights activist Munawar Al-Saliha believes that a woman reaching the presidency of the government represents a major event in Morocco's history, considering that this step opens a wall that has been linked for years to men's dominance over decision-making positions.

She highlights that this transformation did not come from nothing, but came as a result of a long path of women's struggle to reach decision-making positions at the local, regional, and national levels, alongside the commitments Morocco has accumulated at the international level in the field of equality between women and men.

She confirms that the current phase requires moving from struggle quantity to quality, making women's presence in decision-making positions more linked to the quality and effectiveness of participation, and not merely to the rise in their numbers.

She recalls that a woman reaching the presidency of the government can constitute an opportunity to continue modernizing the legal system in a way that serves social justice, expressing her hope that Morocco will continue its path in enhancing women's rights and entrenching equality.

A Responsibility That Goes Beyond Representing Women

For her part, Maryam Haouad, a researcher in public policies and human rights and an activist in the field of women's rights, considers that the arrival of the first woman to the presidency of the government represents a positive step and a source of pride, but at the same time it doubles the size of the responsibility placed on her shoulders.

She explains that a woman assuming this position should not be viewed as a gain for women only, but as a responsibility toward all male and female citizens, noting that the new leadership is required to make public policies a tool for serving both women and men equally.

She believes that this step can open the field for working on public policies more linked to women's issues and dignity, considering that a woman reaching the presidency of the government represents a matter for change, in light of a Moroccan social and political context that has become more open to the possibility of women reaching the highest leadership positions.

Toward Parity That Goes Beyond Symbolism

As for Laila Imili, president of the Free Hands Association, she considers that appointing a woman at the head of the government constitutes a strategic turning point in Morocco's institutional democratic construction path, considering that the step breaks traditional and masculine patterns of executive leadership, and re-raises the concept of full citizenship on the basis of merit and competence, away from gender-based discrimination.

She believes that this station is historic and goes beyond its symbolic dimension, because it opens national and societal workshops that break with intellectual sediments and stereotypical and masculine mentalities that contributed for long periods to limiting women's participation.

She considers that this step also carries a message that the competence of managing public affairs and the integrity of public responsibility should be measured by field results and developmental impact, not by the gender of the official.

She says that the real success of this step lies in transforming the values of parity and equal opportunities from principles framed in the constitution and legal texts into a tangible reality in public policies, contributing to reducing spatial and social disparities, entrenching the social state, and strengthening the principles of the state of right and law.

She adds that the Morocco of tomorrow that everyone aspires to should be based on comprehensive and sustainable investment of all national energies, women and men, as equal partners in decision-making and building the country's future.

Speaking about women's representation in elected institutions, Laila Imili notes that women's presence in the House of Representatives witnessed improvement following the recent legislative elections, as the number of female representatives rose from 96 during the previous term to 107 female representatives in the new House, while the number of women winners in local districts rose from six female representatives in the 2021 elections to 17 female representatives in the 2026 elections.

She explains that 121 local lists were headed by women out of 1,615 lists, which reflects in her view progress in women's presence within electoral competition, although it is still far from the level that can achieve balanced political representation.

Laila Imili expresses her hope that the 2030 elections will witness another leap in women's representation, reaching full parity, and that the upcoming collective elections and the elections of the chambers and the House of Advisors will form stations for enhancing women's presence in decision-making centers and raising their level of representation.

At the end of her interview, she stresses that ambition should not be limited to the presence of women in decision-making positions, but that they should have actual power, and that their presence should not be limited to the formal aspect, allowing them to participate in committees and other positions of decision-making practice.

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