Monique Andréas Esoavelomandroso (18 August 1945 – 17 March 2025) was a Malagasy politician.

Life and career

Esoavelomandroso was born in Fort-Dauphin (now

Tôlanaro Fort-Dauphin (Malagasy Tolagnaro or Taolagnaro) is a city (''commune urbaine'') on the southeast coast of Madagascar. It is the capital of the Anosy Region and of the Taolagnaro District. It has been a port of local importance since the early 150 ...

) in the far south-east of Madagascar and was raised in the west coast city of Tuléar (now

Toliara Toliara (also known as ''Toliary'', ; formerly ''Tuléar'') is a city in southern Madagascar. It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, located 936 km southwest of the national capital Antananarivo. The current spelling of the name ...

), receiving a religious education in the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

. She qualified as a financial auditor after studying in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, and has written studies on the demographics of Madagascar. She was married to Manassé Esoavelomandroso, the leader of the Leader Fanilo party. She served continuously as a minister in Malagasy governments between 1971 and 2004. Her posts included the ministries of rural animation, finance and economics, population (including managing women's and children's affairs between 1977 and 1993) and budget and decentralisation. President

Marc Ravalomanana Marc Ravalomanana (; born 12 December 1949) is a Malagasy politician who served as the sixth List of presidents of Madagascar, president of Madagascar from 2002 to 2009. Born into a farming Merina people, Merina family in Imerinkasinina, near th ...

appointed her as his secretary of state for decentralisation and development of autonomous provinces in 2002. In 2004, she was appointed the general secretary of the

Indian Ocean Commission The Indian Ocean Commission (, COI) is an intergovernmental organisation that links African Indian Ocean nations: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (an overseas region of France), and Seychelles. There are also seven observers: China, th ...

, in which role she served until 2008. Esoavelomandroso was subsequently appointed for a six-year term as Ombudsman for the Republic of Madagascar, with responsibility for representing the interests of Malagasy citizens by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or violations of rights. Her appointment was not without controversy, as her marriage to a leading opposition politician prompted concerns about her ability to perform as a neutral mediator. She also served as the President of the "Avoty ny Ankizy" (Save the Children) organisation and the Association of Women Treasury Inspectors. Esoavelomandroso was distinguished with the Grand Croix, 2nd class of the Malagasy Legion of Honor on 12 April 2021. Esoavelomandroso died on 17 March 2025, at the age of 79.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esoavelomandroso, Monique Andréas 1945 births 2025 deaths People from Anosy People from Atsimo-Andrefana Malagasy Lutherans University of Pittsburgh alumni Government ministers of Madagascar 20th-century Malagasy women politicians 20th-century Malagasy politicians 21st-century Malagasy women politicians 21st-century Malagasy politicians Women government ministers of Madagascar