Khalida Boufedeche elected as Algeria's first woman parliamentary speaker

What the report says

France 24, citing AFP, reports that Khalida Boufedeche has been elected speaker of Algeria’s National People’s Assembly, becoming the first woman to hold the post. The vote took place on Tuesday evening in Algiers, with the article issued Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Boufedeche, an allergist by training, represents the capital and now becomes the fourth-highest-ranking official in the country.

Boufedeche is a member of the central committee of the National Liberation Front, or FLN, the party historically associated with Algeria’s independence movement and currently allied with the government. France 24 reports that the FLN emerged as the largest party in parliamentary elections held earlier this month, winning 91 of the 407 seats in the lower house.

Her election is notable both for its symbolic significance and for the composition of the new parliament. According to the report, women hold only 25 seats in the chamber, about six percent of the total. That is down from 38 women in the previous parliament and far below the 118 women elected in 2017, when a quota system was in place.

The parliamentary elections that preceded Boufedeche’s elevation were also marked by historically low participation. France 24 says turnout was 21 percent, the lowest recorded. Against that backdrop, her selection places a woman in one of Algeria’s most senior state roles while also highlighting the sharp decline in women’s representation in the legislature.