Josephine Ponte

Josephine Seris Ponte (born 8 August 1954) is the 50th and current Lyonine First Councilors, and leader of the Centrist Party since 2000. Following the 2000 Election Ponte succeeded her mentor Helene Saens as leader of the Centrist Party and thus their candidate for First Councilor should they retain their majority. Saens bowed out of the leadership due to health concerns. The election was close as the Conservatives and Liberals each took nearly one third of the tally but with the support of the Greens and the Non-Aligned, Ponte was able to establish a working majority.

Ponte attended the University of Genora and previously worked as a archaeologist for National Museum before turning to politics in 1972 to fill a position vacated by a Liberal Councillor following a scandal.. Campaigning as a member of the Alliance of Centrists, Ponte was elected as a Councillor for Genora in 1972 where she has continued to maintain her seat, before successfully entering the Coalition Cabinet as Minister of Antiquities. Ponte would be re-elected as a Councillor for Genora in 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1995 as well as maintaining the seat following her election as First Councillor in 2000. Her subsequent victories in 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015 have been seen as bellweathers as whether or not she is viable due to the Centrist nature of Genora. Here closest elections were in 1985, 1990 and 2010.

Ponte served as a Councillor under the Alliance of Centrists for the constituency of Genora, also serving as Minister of Antiquities for the for the Marais and Sagese governments from 1980 to 1990 which saw her successfully navigate the change of party in power from Centrists to Liberals in the '85 election. In 1990 when the Centrist Alliance won that year's general election she was promoted from Minister of Antiquities to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs by First Councilor Marais who served as her longtime mentor from her time as a backbencher in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Following her time as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs throughout the 1990s, Ponte successfully campaigned for the AoC's leadership nomination for the election of 2000. While her ability to rise  to the forefront of AoC leadership stunned many it didn't equate to a major victory electorally as the AoC was forced  into a working coalition with the Greens and Non-Aligned. Building on the previous decade's globe trotting, Ponte extended offers to many of the nations globally to join together to advance the cause of science. It was during her first five year term from 2000-2005 that Lyonia really climbed its way to the forefront of oceanographic studies and science. Along with pushing further into space with a combined Entente space program.