Algeria is set to appoint the first woman to lead its lower house of parliament after Khalida Boufedech emerged as the frontrunner for the speaker’s post….reports Africa Daily News Desk
Algeria is poised to appoint the first woman in its history to lead the People’s National Assembly after lawmakers from the presidential majority nominated Khalida Boufedech for the post, making her the clear favourite to become speaker of the lower house.
If elected, Boufedech, a member of the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN), will also become the first woman to hold Algeria’s fourth-highest office in the state protocol hierarchy. Her nomination follows the July 2 parliamentary elections, which returned 407 lawmakers for a new five-year term.
The governing coalition endorsed Boufedech’s candidacy after receiving approval from the presidency. Other potential candidates from within the ruling alliance were dropped before parliament convened for its inaugural session on Tuesday.
Opposition parties also nominated candidates for the position, with the Islamist Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) putting forward Amine Allouche and the secular Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) nominating Rachid Hassani.
A physician by profession, Boufedech previously served on the Algiers provincial assembly and has spent decades within the FLN, which secured more than 100 seats in the election.
The FLN parliamentary bloc said it nominated Boufedech based on her “competence and leadership experience”, adding that her election would strengthen parliament’s role in supporting stability and advancing the country’s reform agenda. The bloc also expressed confidence in her ability to lead the chamber by consensus while reinforcing its legislative, oversight and parliamentary diplomacy functions, and called on lawmakers across party lines to support her bid.
Separately, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune defended the legitimacy of the newly elected parliament despite voter turnout falling to a record low of 21.24 per cent.
“Whether turnout is 20 percent, 21 percent, or even 70 percent, it will not undermine the credibility of the legislative institution,” Tebboune said during a televised interview on Monday. “Parliament remains the constitutional body responsible for legislation.”
Responding to questions about the exclusion of hundreds of prospective candidates over allegations of “dirty money”, Tebboune said businesspeople were “not inherently bad” but insisted that politics must remain separate from wealth to prevent oligarchic influence. He added that parliamentary immunity would no longer shield lawmakers from prosecution, warning that any member found guilty of wrongdoing would immediately lose immunity and face the courts.
The president also welcomed the growing number of young university graduates entering politics, saying they deserved an opportunity to prove themselves and were already demonstrating success in agriculture, innovation and public life.
On foreign policy, Tebboune rejected suggestions that Algeria had sought visa quotas from France or demanded an official apology and reparations for the colonial period, insisting that “Algeria will not beg anyone.” His comments came amid political debate in France over visas and immigration and reiterated Algeria’s position on historical memory and diplomatic sovereignty. He also warned unnamed parties against attempting to undermine Tunisia’s security under the pretext of combating terrorism.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat (Awsat News), Tebboune also announced plans to increase wages, the minimum wage, pensions and university scholarships from 2027, linking the measures to lower inflation, anti-corruption efforts and stronger economic performance. He further highlighted a new direction in relations with Europe, describing Germany as a strategic partner in technology transfer and advanced manufacturing while expressing Algeria’s ambition to become Berlin’s leading supplier of green hydrogen.
