Khalida Boufedeche elected as Algeria's first woman parliamentary speaker
Algeria's parliament elected its first female speaker on Tuesday evening, making Khalida Boufedeche the fourth-highest-ranking official in the country. She is a member of the National Liberation Front (FLN), which won the most seats in recent elections marked by record-low turnout.
Algeria's parliament made history on Tuesday evening by electing its first-ever woman speaker. Khalida Boufedeche, an allergist by training who represents the capital Algiers, now becomes the fourth-highest-ranking official in the country. She is a member of the National Liberation Front (FLN), the historic party of Algerian independence and an ally of the current government.
The FLN emerged as the biggest winner in the July parliamentary elections, securing 91 of the 407 seats. The vote was notable for the lowest turnout ever recorded at just 21 percent.
Boufedeche, a member of her party's central committee, previously served in local politics before entering parliament. She assumes the speakership at a time when women are significantly underrepresented in the legislature, holding only 25 seats, or six percent of the total. The previous parliament had 38 women members, while the one before that had 118 following the 2017 elections, which were conducted under a quota system.
