The Honourable Member, Ms. Azarel Ernesta was born on the 26th of March 1984. She is married, has three children, and currently resides in the district of Au Cap.
Hon. Ernesta’s early education started at Anse Aux Pins Primary School after which she was amongst the first groups to move to the Pointe Larue Secondary School. She later attended the Seychelles Polytechnic from 2001 to 2003, where she laid the foundation for her academic pursuits. Her path to higher education began with her enrolment in the Manchester Twinning Programme with the University of Manchester, which took her to the UK to pursue and complete a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business, Finance and Economics, with the Manchester Business School. Demonstrating a continued commitment to higher education and personal development, Hon. Ernesta later proceeded to study Law full-time with the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, earning a Bachelor of Laws (LLB).
Hailing from a family of public servants, she began her early professional life with the National Assembly. Hon. Ernesta served for seven years with the National Assembly Service where she began her Parliamentary career as the Liaison Officer in the Speaker’s Office and progressed to serve in the Table Office as the Deputy Clerk and eventually the Clerk of the National Assembly. Upon her return from studying law, she joined the Civil Service as a Legal Advisor with the Agency for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehab (APDAR) and also served in the same role with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACCS).
Ever one to venture into all things legal and regulatory, Hon. Ernesta followed a career in the Financial Services sector where her academic background afforded her the ability to undertake functions within the Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering field. Within the Financial Services Sector, she has fulfilled roles such as Director, Compliance Officer, Head of Legal & Compliance while also serving as the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) for the entities she worked with. Hon. Ernesta holds a Certificate in Compliance from the International Compliance Association (ICA), as well as a Global Financial Compliance Certificate issued by the Chartered Institute of Securities Investments (CISI).
Her experience in both the public and private sector has provided Hon. Ernesta with a unique perspective on the issues of governance and integrity, from the place of enforcer and from the place of those seeking to be compliant with the law. An ardent reader and seeker of spiritual truths, Hon. Ernesta believes strongly that one is always a student of whatever field one has chosen to venture into.
A quote that holds true to her way of approaching all challenges, is taken from the book ‘Don’t believe everything you think’ by Joseph Nguyen- “The path forward is only revealed when we begin walking.
Hon. Ernesta was sworn in as the Speaker of the 8th Assembly on Tuesday 28th of October 2025, for her first parliamentary mandate.