Algeria’s lower house of parliament will be led by a woman for the first time in the country’s history, after lawmakers elected Ms. Khalida Boufedech on Tuesday evening, making her the fourth-highest ranking official in the country.
Ms. Khalida won 302 of the 366 votes cast during the election for speaker of the National People’s Assembly, Algeria’s 407-seat lower house.
She is a member of the National Liberation Front, the largest party in parliament and the largest within the pro-government coalition aligned with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Ms. Khalida competed against two male opposition candidates. Amine Allouche of the Islamist opposition and Rachid Hassani of the secular opposition.
Born in 1982, Ms. Khalida graduated in general medicine from the University of Algiers in 2008 and obtained a specialist diploma in allergology and clinical immunology in 2019.
She began her medical career at public hospitals in Algiers before being appointed head of a department at the Algiers provincial health directorate in 2023.
Ms. Khalida entered politics while continuing her medical career, serving from 2012 to 2017 on the municipal assembly of Bordj El Bahri, an eastern suburb of Algiers, before joining the local assembly of Algiers in 2021.
Earlier in July, Algeria’s Constitutional Court approved the results of elections to the lower house of parliament held on 2 July. The ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) won 91 of the 407 seats, around 22 per cent.
The National Democratic Rally came second with 74 seats, while the Future Front came third with 56. All three leading parties support incumbent Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Voter turnout was 21.24 per cent, a record low. In the previous Algerian elections held in 2021, 23 per cent of voters cast ballots.
In her first address after assuming office, Ms. Khalida cast her election as both a national mandate and a constitutional responsibility, pledging to serve as the representative of all without exception.
She called on lawmakers to work collectively in a spirit of dialogue, mutual respect and partnership, stressing that the supreme interests of the nation must prevail over all other considerations. She also commended the work of the provisional bureau and congratulated newly elected deputies on earning the confidence of the Algerian people.
Highlighting the historic nature of her election, Ms. Khalida said her appointment reflects the profound transformations taking place in Algeria and demonstrates the political will to promote the participation of competent Algerians at all levels of public life.
She described the confidence placed in her as a tribute to Algerian women, saying it forms part of a broader national project aimed at building a strong, modern and democratic Algeria founded on merit and competence.
The new Speaker affirmed her commitment to fostering a culture of consultation and institutional partnership, describing the People’s National Assembly as the country’s principal forum for democratic debate, legislation, oversight and evaluation of public policies.
She pledged to work toward strengthening parliamentary performance and improving the quality of legislation in line with Algeria’s economic, social and political development objectives.
On the institutional front, the new speaker announced her intention to reinforce cooperation and coordination with the Council of the Nation and the government while fully respecting the constitutional separation of powers.
Ms. Khalida becomes the highest-ranking woman to hold a constitutional office in Algeria’s history so far, making her election a major milestone in the country’s democracy.
