Marguerite Pétro-Koni Zézé

Marguerite Pétro-Koni-Zezé (formerly Balenguélé-Zarambaud; born 19 July 1948) is a Central African politician who served as the first female mayor of Bangui from 1989 to 1992.

Early life and education Marguerite Zarambaud was born in Mobaye on 19 July 1948. In the 1970s, she studied law at the University of Caen and married Abel Balenguélé. Afterwards, she replaced her name with Marguerite Balenguélé-Zarambaud.

Career Zarambaud went back to Bangui and got involved in politics. On 22 August 1977, she was arrested for distributing Central African Student Union flyers that referred to the country as a republic instead of an empire. She was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and put under house arrest due to five-month pregnancy. On 29 May 2003, she was chosen as a member of National Transitional Council from the customs office and took part in the National Dialogue in Bangui. In the 2005 election, she was re-elected as a member of the parliament from Mobaye First District.

Personal life Zarambaud changed her name to Pétro-Koni-Zezé and belongs to Yakoma.