Khalida Boufedeche elected as Algeria's first woman parliamentary speaker

Khalida Boufedeche elected as Algeria's first woman parliamentary speaker Khalida Boufedeche, a trained allergist who represents the Algerian capital Algiers, was elected as the country's first-ever woman parliament speaker Wednesday. Boufedeche is a member of the ruling National Liberation Front's central committee – and now the fourth highest-ranking official in the country. Algeria's parliament elected its first-ever woman speaker on Tuesday evening, making Khalida Boufedeche the fourth-highest-ranking official in the country. Boufedeche, an allergist by training who represents the capital Algiers, is a member of the National Liberation Front (FLN), the historic party of Algerian independence and allied with the current government. The FLN was the biggest winner in parliamentary elections earlier this month, securing 91 of the body's 407 seats. The vote was marked by the lowest turnout ever, at 21 percent. Boufedeche is a member of her party's central committee, and had served in local politics before entering parliament. She assumes the speakership of a body where women are significantly underrepresented, holding just 25 seats, or six percent of the total. The previous parliament had 38 women members, and the one before that had 118 following 2017 elections which were held under a quota system. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)