Marie-Cécile Lepetit

**Marie-Cécile Jeanne Anne Lepetit** (née **Cocq**; born 28 February 1937) is a Maronan politician from Fuadeloupe who has served as president of Fuadeloupe since 1986. She is a member of the Fuadeloupe Workers Party, and the leader of the Fuadeloupe Socialist Federation political alliance.

Lepetit was born to a working-class family in the town of Boisvinière. She completed her education in 1955, and afterwards became certified to work as a nursing assistant. Lepetit subsequently worked as a nursing assistant at a walk-in clinic in Haute-Terre, before becoming a trade unionist in 1962, upon her election as a trade representative for the Marone Confederation of Labour (CML), and later as the chairwoman of CML Fuadeloupe in 1967. With her election as chairwoman, Lepetit became the first woman to chair a regional branch of a national labour confederation in Marone.

Lepetit began her career in elected politics in 1968, after she was elected to the municipal council of Boisvinière in the 1968 municipal elections. She was later reelected in the 1974 municipal elections, and also became mayor of Boisvinière, becoming the first woman in Fuadeloupe to be elected as a mayor. Lepetit entered regional politics after being elected to the General Council of Fuadeloupe in the 1980 regional election. Upon her election, Lepetit began to quickly develop a profile as an advocate for women's rights and workers' rights in Fuadeloupe. In 1985, Lepetit was elected leader of the Fuadeloupe Workers Party, and thus the Fuadeloupe Socialist Federation as well, following the resignation of Jean-Claude Duval. She led the alliance into the 1986 regional election, which the alliance went on to win, with Lepetit becoming president of Fuadeloupe, the first woman to hold the position and the first woman to serve as a regional president in all of Marone. Lepetit has gone on to be reelected in 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2016, and 2022, becoming the longest-serving regional president in Maronan history.

Lepetit has established herself as a widely popular and well-known political figure in Fuadeloupe, being dubbed the "Iron Lady of Fuadeloupe." On several occasions, Lepetit has been theorized as a potential candidate for national office, as either a cabinet minister or president of Marone, although Lepetit has denied interest in seeking national office. Critics of Lepetit have accused her of corruption, cronyism, and fostering a toxic work environment, while supporters have cited her governance as the catalyst behind Fuadeloupe having one of the highest levels of development and economic stability in the Barrabean Sea.

## Early life and education

Lepetit was born on 28 February 1937 in Boisvinière, on the island of Fuadeloupe, to parents Édouard (1907–1991) and Jeanne-Marie Cocq (née *Blanc*; 1910–2005). Both of her parents were born into poor sharecropping families, although later in life her father became a postal worker and her mother a nurse, with both being active in their respective trade unions. Lepetit was raised in a working-class family as the youngest of four children; her elder siblings included Jean-Pierre (1930–2009), Anne (1933–2015), and Henri (1935–2015).

Lepetit began her education in 1942, attending public schooling. While in school, Lepetit was an intelligent student, and aspired to become a nurse like her mother. She completed primary school in 1949, later graduating from *collège* as well in 1952. She subsequently enrolled in a *lycée professionnel* program to study nursing, and graduated with honors in 1955.

## Nursing career and trade unionism

After graduating from secondary school in 1955, Lepetit received her credentials to work as a nursing assistant, and was hired at a walk-in clinic in Haute-Terre. Upon beginning her career, Lepetit became an active member of her local trade union, having long witnessed her parents both be active members of their own trade unions. Within one year of attending regular meetings, Lepetit determined that she wished to serve in a leadership role with the union, in order to take on more responsibilities and fight for the working-class.

In 1962, Lepetit was elected as a trade union representative by her union to the national Marone Confederation of Labour (CML). As a representative, Lepetit represented her local union in matters before its national trade union confederation, while also handling grievances presented by her local union members. Seeking to take on additional responsibilities, Lepetit was later elected as the branch chairwoman for CML Fuadeloupe, becoming the confederation's highest-ranking official throughout all of Fuadeloupe. With her election, Lepetit became the first woman to serve as a branch chairperson for a national trade union in Marone. Lepetit served in the role until 1968, when she resigned in order to pursue elected politics.

## Personal life

Lepetit married postal worker Bertrand Lepetit in 1956, following a two-year relationship, having first met as students at the same *lycée*. They had two children together: Nathalie (born 1958) and Nicolas (born 1960), while the family resided in Boisvinière. She is additionally a grandmother to four grandchildren, and a great-grandmother to three great-grandchildren. Bertrand died in 2008, aged 72, after suffering a heart attack.

Lepetit is a practicing Eurean Catholic, and has attended weekly mass her entire life. She is fluent in Maronan, Fuadeloupean Creole, and Ditrovian.