VICTORIA, Seychelles — Marie Bernadette Furneau was sworn in as the new Electoral Commissioner at a ceremony at State House yesterday morning, officiated by President Wavel Ramkalawan. She takes up the seat vacated by Wendy Didon, who was appointed chairperson of the commission in March 2025. Mrs Furneau took the Oath of Allegiance to the Constitution and her oath of office in the presence of her daughter, First Lady Linda Ramkalawan, and other guests.
Speaking to the media afterwards, Mrs Furneau said she felt ready to join a commission that has an election year ahead of it, and that she believed she could make a significant contribution. She noted that she was not new to the field, having previously served as an assistant electoral officer in past elections, and stressed that the most important thing was to work with integrity.
Mrs Furneau brings more than four decades of public and private sector experience. Her career began in 1980 at the Department of Administration, where she rose to Higher Executive Officer before moving into senior roles at the President’s Office from 1988 to 1993. Between 1993 and 2005 she served as Director General of Administration at the Ministry of Tourism and Transport, where she oversaw Independence House and the International Conference Centre of Seychelles. She went on to hold executive roles at the Seychelles Tourism Board, Cable & Wireless, Seychelles Savings Bank and, most recently, Seychelles Breweries Ltd.
The ceremony was attended by Principal Minister Jean-François Ferrari, deputy Speaker Gervais Henrie, Commissioner of Police Ted Barbe, SIS Director Benedict Hoareau, Secretary of State for Cabinet Affairs Margaret Moumou, members of the Constitutional Appointments Authority and the Electoral Commission.
