en.qantara.de: Wanted: Female candidates for Algeria's parliament quota

8.3.17

Wanted: Female candidates for Algeria's parliament quota: [en.qantara.de] While universities in this Muslim North African nation are increasingly full of young women, politics is still largely seen as a male domain. A relatively macho culture, especially in the desert and rural heartland, has left many parties short of female options as they sift through thousands of potential candidates to finalise party lists by Sunday for elections on 4 May.

Parties reached out to journalists, teachers and other female professionals to try to persuade them to join male rivals who are clamouring to run for parliament, notably attracted by the political power and financial privileges of a legislative seat.

"I was never involved in political or union activity, but I was always interested in politics, through newspapers, television. I don't know what parliamentary work consists of, but the challenge interests me a lot," retired teacher Aziza Boudia said. The Algerian National Front party asked the energetic 55-year-old to be the No. 2 candidate for the party's list in Boumerdes east of Algiers.