Morgane Charucan

**Morgane Adèle Charucan** (born 15 November 1974) is a Maronan politician from Tahare who has served as president of Tahare since 2016. She is a member of the Tahare Left Party, and the leader of the Pour La Tahare ! political alliance.

Charucan was born and raised in Saint-Philippe. After completing her secondary education at Lycée Philibert Morel in Saint-Philippe in 1992, Charucan relocated to Sainte-Anne to begin a CPGE course at Lycée Henri Morel, which she completed in 1994. Charucan subsequently moved to Dax to enroll in EEP Dax, graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1995, and a master's degree in 1997. After completing her education, Charucan relocated to Delmas, where she began working at a political consultancy firm, before leaving the position in 2001 to relocate to Tahare and begin a position as a government relations specialist at Banque de La Tahare.

Charucan began her career in elected politics in 2004, after being elected to the municipal council of Saint-Philippe in the 2004 municipal elections. In 2009, Charucan was selected to stand as a candidate in Tahare's 4th constituency in the 2009 legislative election. She was ultimately elected to the Chamber of Representatives, beginning her career in national politics. Charucan was later reelected to a second term in the 2010 municipal elections, while also being elected mayor of Saint-Philippe and *ex-officio* president of the Saint-Philippe metropolis. The same year, she was elected to the General Council in the 2010 regional election. Following the retirement of Maxime Rajoharison, Charucan was announced as the new leader of the left-wing bloc going into the 2016 regional election. The left-wing faction of parties went on to win a majority of seats in the General Council, and Charucan was elected president of Tahare, becoming the second woman to serve in the office. The day before taking office, Charucan opted to resign her seat in the Chamber of Representatives and her municipal government positions, in order to devote herself fully to the office of president of Tahare. She was reelected to the position in the 2022 regional election.

As the president of Tahare, Charucan has focused her government on promoting green initiatives, such as increasing the budget of the public transportation system, levying taxes on private automobiles driving through Sainte-Anne and Saint-Philippe, and increasing the amount of bike lanes constructed throughout the region. Additionally, she has focused on environmental protections for the biodiversity and wildlife found in Tahare.

## Early life and education

Charucan was born on 15 November 1974 in Saint-Philippe, on the island of Tahare, to parents Arnaud (born 1940) and Huguette Charucan (née *Vitech*; born 1945). She identifies as a *Pondiche*; she is of South Tirian Namil descent on both her paternal and maternal sides, and her ancestors first came to Tahare as indentured servants from Namil Padu in modern-day Tiria in the late-19th century. Her father was an educator who taught mathematics at Lycée Philibert Marceau in Saint-Philippe, while her mother was a homemaker-turned-author who published three historical fiction novels in the 1990s. Charucan was raised as the youngest of three children in the Baie-Noire neighborhood of Saint-Philippe; her elder siblings include Nathalie (born 1969) and Paul-Henri (born 1971).

Charucan began her education in 1979, attending public schooling in Saint-Philippe. She completed primary school in 1986, and later graduated from *collège* in 1989. Charucan subsequently enrolled in Lycée Philibert Morel, where her father taught, studying a *lycée académique* program in literature and languages. She graduated with her *baccalauréat* with honors in 1992, and subsequently moved to Sainte-Anne to enroll in a CPGE course at Lycée Henri Morel, studying political science and public administration. In 1993, aged 19, Charucan competed in Miss Tahare 1993, but did not finish as a top three finalist. She later successfully completed the CPGE course in 1994, and afterwards moved to Dax in Côte Turquoise to enroll in EEP Dax, a *grande école* part of the *Écoles d'études politiques* system. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in political economy in 1995, and later received a master's degree as well in 1997.

## Early career

After completing her master's degree in 1997, Charucan relocated to Delmas to begin working in politics. She spent one year as a staffer at the Senate, working in the communications department of the Socialist Party group. After one year in the position, Charucan departed and was hired as an associate at the political consultancy firm Pasquier and Associates. While at the firm, Charucan assisted on projects for government officials and politicians throughout the world, with a specific focus on Tiria and Helonesia.

In 2001, Charucan returned to Tahare, where she was hired as a government relations specialist at Banque de la Tahare. In the position, Charucan liaised between the bank and representatives of both the regional and national governments on strategy and regulatory issues. After being elected as a municipal councillor in 2004, Charucan resigned from the position to avoid conflicts of interest, and was contracted as an advisory consultant to the bank. She left the position in 2009, upon her election to the Chamber of Representatives.

## Political career

### Early politics

Charucan began her career in elected politics in 2004, after she was included as a candidate on the party list for the Tahare Left Party in the 2004 municipal election in Saint-Philippe. The party ultimately won enough seats in the election, and Charucan was elected to the municipal council. At age 29, Charucan was the youngest woman ever elected to the city's municipal council at that point. Charucan was chosen to lead the left-wing bloc into the 2010 municipal election, and went on to lead the bloc to a majority on the council, becoming the mayor of Saint-Philippe and *ex-officio* president of the Saint-Philippe metropolis. Aged 35, she was the youngest person to ever serve in either position, and the first woman to do so as well. Additionally, Charucan was elected to the General Council of Tahare in the 2010 regional election. Upon her election, Charucan was appointed to the government of Maxime Rajoharison, as the vice president for infrastructure and public transportation. She later resigned her municipal government offices on 19 June 2016, in order to take office as president of Tahare. She was succeeded as mayor of Saint-Philippe by Gabriël Anouchoumy.

Charucan entered national politics in 2009, after being selected by the Tahare Left Party to serve as its candidate in Tahare's 4th constituency in the 2009 Maronan legislative election. Due to electoral alliances commonly seen in Tahare, Charucan stood as the nominated candidate of the Socialist Party, and was seen as the heavy favorite to win the seat, following the retirement of Dimitri Grégoire. She ultimately was elected in the second round of voting, and took her seat in the Chamber of Representatives in August 2009. During her first term in office, Charucan took a six-month maternity leave following the birth of her son in June 2012, and was temporarily replaced by her deputy Cédric Larue. Charucan was reelected in the 2014 Maronan legislative election, with an increased majority in the second round of voting. She later resigned her seat on 19 June 2016, in order to take office as president of Tahare, and was replaced by her deputy Gaby Andrianaivo.

### President of Tahare

In August 2015, Maxime Rajoharison announced that he would retire from politics after the completion of the current electoral term, and would not stand for reelection as president of Tahare in the upcoming 2016 regional election. Following the announcement, Charucan was tipped as one of the most likely individuals to replace him as leader of Pour La Tahare !, the left-wing electoral alliance in Tahare. In December 2015, Charucan was elected by members of the political parties comprising Pour La Tahare ! as the electoral alliance's lead candidate in the upcoming regional election. As Tahare is seen as a left-leaning region, this also made her the frontrunner to serve as the next president of Tahare.

At the conclusion of the 2016 regional election, the left-wing alliance secured a majority of seats in the General Council, and Charucan was elected president of Tahare as a result. On 19 June 2016, the day before the swearing in of the new General Council, Charucan resigned her seat in the Chamber of Representatives in order to prioritize her incoming position as president of Tahare, citing the difficulties in managing a schedule while continuously traveling between Tahare and Delmas. She additionally resigned her municipal government positions, including her position as mayor of Saint-Philippe. Charucan took office as president the following day, becoming the second woman to serve as president, and the youngest person ever, aged 41. Following her swearing-in, Charucan pledged to prioritize environmental protections and green initiatives during her term as president, such as increasing the budget of the public transportation system, levying taxes on private automobiles driving through Sainte-Anne and Saint-Philippe, and increasing the amount of bike lanes constructed throughout the region. As president, Charucan also represents Tahare in international cooperation groups, such as the Papaguscan Sea Leaders Group and Association of East Tarfican States.

Charucan led the left-wing alliance into the 2022 regional election as well, where she was reelected to her position as president.

## Personal life

Charucan met Maronan bank executive Pierre Bougean in 2001, while they both worked at Banque de la Tahare. They began a romantic relationship in 2002, one year after first meeting, and later became engaged in 2005. Charucan and Bougean married the following year. They have two sons together: Nicolas (born 2008) and Emmanuel (born 2012). The family resides in Saint-Philippe, while Charucan also rented an apartment in Cissac from 2009 to 2016 for her legislative duties, while she was a member of the Chamber of Representatives.

Charucan identifies herself as a *Pondiche*, and practices Tirism. She is fluent in Maronan, Ditrovian, and Tiri, and also can communicate in Taharian Creole.