Alaine Dutroux

Alaine Marlène Dolores Winnifred Dutroux et Laguarde, Fifth President of the Republic of the Southern Indian Ocean Islands (née Dutroux; born 22 August, 1926 in La Roche Godon - died 19 July, 2012 (age 85) in Les Falaises d'Entrecasteaux) was the fifth President of the Republic of the Southern Indian Ocean Islands and five times re-elected députée for the province of Île Amsterdam in the Federal Assembly.

Dutroux studied law at the University of the Antarctic Islands, where she graduated in 1950. She attained her Master's in 1952 and her PhD in 1956, simultaneously with her election is representive to the Federal Assembly for Île Amsterdam as an independent. She was promoted to Professor of Law in 1967; she was also elected as representative five consecutive times. She ran as presidential candidate in 1975, and was eventually elected with 73.2% of the national popular vote. She was inaugurated in 1 December, 1972.

Dutroux' tenure as president of the Republic was between 1976 and 1984, lasting a total of eight years, the longest a president is allowed to be head of state constitutitonally. Her presidency was marked by the War of the Indian Ocean waged between the Republic and over the Prince Edward Islands, which resulted in a victory for the Southern Indian Ocean Islands. Under her presidency the University of Kerguelen was created, and the Province of Prince Edward Islands was de facto integrated into the Republic.

Despite having emerged victorious, the War of the Indian Ocean self-reportedly had taken its toll on her. After the end of the her second term as president she retired at the age of 58 and spent the rest of her life in her house in Les Falaises d'Entrecasteaux on Île Amsterdam, where she focused on writing and painting. Famous bestsellers by Dutroux are The War in the Middle of Nowhere and A City, An Island.