Khalida Boufedech Faces First Test in Reshaping Parliament

The parliamentary blocs represented in the People’s National Assembly (APN) have settled on their respective leaders, with the composition of the Assembly’s Bureau still to be completed through the appointment of vice presidents.

The move paves the way for the renewal of the lower house’s internal structures and represents the first organizational challenge facing newly elected Assembly President Khalida Boufedech.

In this context, the new Speaker is expected to meet with the heads of the parliamentary blocs, who were selected by their respective political leaderships, to discuss each political formation’s share of positions within the Assembly’s structures. The consultations are intended to finalize the allocation of posts and responsibilities and agree on the identities of the vice presidents who will work alongside Boufedech during her first parliamentary session at the helm of the lower house.

According to Echorouk, the parliamentary bloc of the National Liberation Front (FLN) has appointed MP Rachid Othmane as its leader. The National Democratic Rally (RND), meanwhile, has chosen MP Faid Sofiane to head its parliamentary bloc. The Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) has entrusted the position to MP Abdallah Harchaia, while the Voice of the People–Sawt Echaab bloc has selected MP Filali Sabah as its leader. The Front of the Future–El Moustakbal, for its part, has appointed MP Nasreddine Aouinat to head its parliamentary bloc.

The choice of bloc leaders shows that most political formations have opted to entrust the responsibility to MPs with previous parliamentary experience. Their familiarity with legislative work, the Assembly’s internal mechanisms and its procedures is seen as an asset, particularly since leading a parliamentary bloc requires a thorough understanding of parliamentary rules as well as the ability to coordinate between MPs and political leaderships. This experience could prove particularly valuable at a time when most MPs of the new legislature are only beginning their parliamentary careers.

The newly appointed bloc leaders are also expected to be the first to meet with the Assembly’s president. Each is expected to present proposals from their respective political formations regarding MPs who could be nominated for positions within the Assembly’s Bureau. This would allow consultations on the Bureau’s final composition to begin, while also opening discussions on the distribution of responsibilities within the Assembly’s permanent committees and other institutional structures.

According to Echorouk sources, the political parties represented in Parliament have, in this initial process of selecting officials for their internal structures, opted to have their political leaderships make the appointments rather than hold internal elections among MPs. The decision reportedly reflects the fact that many MPs are newcomers who need time to become familiar with one another. It also aims to ensure that parliamentary work gets off to a swift start and that the parliamentary blocs’ structures are organized during the early phase of the new legislative term.

The upcoming consultations between the Assembly president and the parliamentary bloc leaders are expected to settle the composition of the Bureau, including the selection of vice presidents, while also addressing issues related to the distribution of positions within the lower house—particularly the permanent committees and leadership posts within them. This is likely to be one of the first sensitive issues that Boufedech will have to resolve at the beginning of her tenure.

Although the distribution of parliamentary positions and institutional structures is governed by established rules concerning the number of posts and representation ratios, determining the final allocation remains a matter of negotiation among the various political formations. The distribution is closely linked to each party’s strength within the Assembly, which in turn determines its share of positions on the Bureau and the permanent committees.

The meetings between Boufedech and the parliamentary bloc leaders are therefore expected to definitively shape the organization of the lower house during the first session of Algeria’s 10th legislative term. Once the remaining procedural steps are completed and the final composition of the Assembly’s Bureau is announced, Parliament will be able to begin its work under the new structure during the 2026–2027 parliamentary session.