| Annick Petrus | |
| Office: | Member of the French Senate for Saint Martin |
| Term Start: | 1 October 2020 |
| Predecessor: | Guillaume Arnell |
| Office2: | Member of the Territorial Council of Saint Martin |
| Term Start2: | 2 April 2017 |
| Birth Date: | 5 January 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe |
| Party: | MAP (before 2012) Union for Democracy (since 2012) LR (since 2020) RSM (since 2021) |
| Alma Mater: | University of the French West Indies and Guiana |
Annick Danièle Petrus (born 5 January 1961) is a French Saint Martinois educator and politician. She has served as the Senator for the Collectivity of Saint Martin since October 2020 as a member of the Union for Democracy and The Republicans (LR) parties. Petrus is the first woman to represent Saint Martin's lone seat in the French Senate.[1] Additionally, she has served in the Territorial Council of Saint Martin since 2017.
Petrus was born on 5 January 1961 in Guadeloupe to a Saint Martinois mother and a Guadeloupean father.[2] She is a native of Guadeloupe, but divided her time between that island and Saint Martin as a child. She received a master's degree in educational sciences from the University of the French West Indies and Guiana.[3] Petrus has two children, a son and a daughter.[3]
In 1990, Petrus permanently moved to Saint Martin to work as a teacher.[3] She later became principal of Emile Larmonie primary school in, Saint Martin.[3] Petrus has served as a volunteer firefighter in the mid-2000s, after accompanying her son to his firefighting training in Guadeloupe.[3]
Petrus first ran for political office in the 2012 Saint Martin Territorial Council election, but her political group was largely defeated in the election.[3] Shortly after her loss, Petrus joined the Union for Democracy (UD) party, led by Daniel Gibbs.[3]
Annick Petrus was elected to the Territorial Council of Saint Martin on the Union for Democracy ticket in the 2017 general election.[4] She was appointed as the council's third vice president shortly after taking office.[3]
In the 2020 French Senate election, Petrus was nominated for the Senator of Saint Martin seat in the French Senator by the majority UD party.[3] Her opponents included incumbent Senator Guillaume Arnell of the RDSE group, who was seeking a second term.[4] The island's lone national senator is selected through an indirect election by the Grand Electors of Saint Martin, largely made up of members of the Territorial Council.[1] Petrus failed to secure a majority in the first round on 27 September 2020, receiving only 10 votes,[1] [4] but won the second round with 68.2%.[1] [5] Petrus won 15 votes in the second round, versus five votes for Marthe Ogoundele-Tessi, and two for outgoing Senator Guillaume Arnell.[5]
Petrus took office on 1 October 2020, becoming the first woman to represent Saint Martin in the French Senate.[1] She sits within the LR parliamentary group.