Celeste Auberjonois
Celeste Auberjonois | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Premier of Côte d'Azur | |
| Assumed office 01 January 2022 | |
| President | Rémy Soyer |
| Deputy | Tavin Bonhomme |
| Preceded by | Hercule Yacine |
| Leader of the Parti Conservateur (PCR) | |
| Assumed office 7 May 2022 | |
| Deputy | Matthieu Sharpe Hanna Macquarie |
| Preceded by | Baileon Holzfayette |
| Member of the Congrès des Conseillers | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2011 | |
| Constituency | Nouveau Réquista |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Adelyn Auberjonois July 1, 1972 Valera, Comté de Mariel |
| Political party | Parti Conservateur (PCR) |
| Spouse | Emmanuel Auberjonois |
| Children | 2 Farrah (b. 2001) Marcien (b. 2005) |
| Residence | Manoir Bleu, Sartoux |
| Education | BA - Sadoul College MA - University of Bonne Ph.D. - Gardet College |
| Signature |  |
Adelyn Céleste Auberjonois ((/rəˈneɪ oʊˌbɛərʒənˈwɑː/; née Lafayette; born 1 July 1972), referred to professionally as Céleste Auberjonois is an Azurenne jurist, legal professor and politician who is currently serving as the 10th Premier of Côte d'Azur. A member of the Parti Conservateur (PCR), she represents the Nouveau Réquista district in the Congrès des Conseillers. She is the first female to ever hold the Premiership in Côte d'Azur.
Auberjonois was born and raised in the tidal plains region of the Comté de Mariel, the oldest of four children to career constable Mathias (1939 – 2015) and homemaker Elena (née, b. 1942). Emanating from a family of modest means, she became involved in community outreach and volunteerism through her local church; she was selected as a Cornett Foundation Junior Ambassador during her freshman year of high school and recognized for meritorious work helping mentor local children and raise canned goods for needy families. Graduating summa cum laude in 1990, she attended Sadoul Women’s College for her undergraduate studies, then obtained her law degree from the University of Bonne in 1997. She began her legal career in LaCasse clerking for Parish Court justice Danyse Mirabella before leaving to join the CLA Foundation, performing pro bono work for low-income families in civil matters. She supported herself during this time by serving as an adjutant for the parish DA’s office, famously helping to participate in the criminal conviction of serial killer Kena Huelche in 2002. After obtaining her Ph.D. from Gardet, Auberjonois began teaching law at Honnorat, chairing the 2008 National Women Jurists Symposium (Symposium National des Femmes Juristes). Though actively recruited by the Front de l'Unité Sociale to run Bonne Attorney General in 2010, she instead joined the Parti Conservateur as a member of its Reform wing, successfully running for the Councilor’s seat for the Nouveau Réquista, defeating the incumbent Jean Custis.
During her councillorship, Auberjonois established herself as a prominent voice among the PCR’s reform wing, those pushing for a new economic model. Though alienated from the party’s majority wing for her vocal opposition to the party leadership, she easily won re-election in 2016 as a populist voice for the poorer interior regions of the country. Her first two terms included membership of the Agricultural Commission as well as an adjutant under then-Defense Minister and future Presidential partner Rémy Soyer. Auberjonois co-sponsored more than two dozen pieces of legislature introduced by members of the opposition, more than any other member of the PCR. During the 2017-2019 Stagflation Crisis, the popularity of reform-minded voices elevated her into contention for the party leadership after Premier Hercule Yacine announced his resignation in January 2020. She was elected the new party leader in May 2020, and immediately began elevating reform provisions into the party’s 2020 Generals campaign, including major reforms to the country's existing tax code.
Auberjonois won her third term with 72% of the vote, defeating challenger Toh Dene. Her party’s coalition with the Syndicat Catholique de Côte d'Azur (SYC) retained enough seats to form a majority government, which newly-elected President Soyer constituted on 1 January, 2021. The first year of Auberjonois’s premiership was marked by economic reform proposals designed to prevent a reoccurrence of the 2017-2019 crisis, as well as promoting increased regional and global participation of the Azure Coast. Her unofficial partnership with opposition leader Arminastus Baraka in forging increased cross-aisle dialogue and bipartisanship has won her support from many centrists and leftists but has drawn criticism from those on the right who believe her support for some liberal policies could lead to the loss of the Auberjonois won her third term with 72% of the vote, defeating challenger Toh Dene. Her party’s coalition with the Syndicat Catholique de Côte d'Azur (SYC) retained enough seats to form a majority government, which newly-elected President Soyer constituted on 1 January, 2021. The first year of Auberjonois’s premiership was marked by economic reform proposals designed to prevent a reoccurrence of the 2017-2019 crisis, as well as promoting increased regional and global participation of the Azure Coast. Her unofficial partnership with opposition leader Arminastus Baraka in forging increased cross-aisle dialogue and bipartisanship has won her support from many centrists and leftists but has drawn criticism from those on the right who believe her support for some liberal policies could lead to the loss of the Congrès in 2026.
In addition to her political career, Auberjonois is an avid nature enthusiast, with rock climbing and mountain biking particular favorites. In 2004, she was involved in a near-fatal car crash that caused severe trauma to her spine, beginning chronic severe pain from degenerative disk disorder; Auberjonois is typically forced to use a specially-fitted back brace in order to find relief. Before her ascension to the Premiership, she was the national spokesperson for the 3D Foundation, seeking to raise awareness of the condition and to promote improved spine health.