Khalida Boufedeche Makes History as Algeria’s First Female Parliamentary Speaker

Algeria’s parliament elected its first-ever female speaker on Tuesday evening, elevating Khalida Boufedeche to the position of the nation’s fourth-highest-ranking official.

Boufedeche, trained as an allergist and representing the capital city of Algiers, belongs to the National Liberation Front (FLN), the historic party of Algerian independence that maintains close ties with the current government.

The FLN emerged as the largest party in the recent parliamentary elections held earlier this month, securing 91 out of 407 seats in the legislative body.

The electoral process was characterized by record-low voter participation, with only 21 percent of eligible citizens casting ballots.

As a member of her party’s central committee, Boufedeche previously gained experience in local politics before her election to parliament.

She takes on the speakership role in a legislative chamber where women remain significantly underrepresented, holding just 25 seats—or six percent of the total membership.

The preceding parliament had included 38 female members, while the chamber before that featured 118 women following the 2017 elections conducted under a gender quota system.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Source link