France-Albert René

France-Albert René (often abbreviated to simply Albert René) is the long-time leftist president of Seychelles.

In 1976, he became the country's prime minister under President James Mancham. In 1977, partisan supporters of René installed him as president.

René's party, the Seychelles People's Progressive Front, was the sole legal political party in the country from 1979 to 1993. He won presidential elections in 1979, 1984, 1989, 1993, 1998 and 2001. He most recently defeated the candidate of the Seychelles National Party, Wavel Ramkalawan. René's rule has been criticized as corrupt and authoritarian, causing massive economic problems for the past decade.

Anecdotal evidence reports that as René prepares to retire, he is handing many of the day-to-day tasks involved in running the country to Vice President James Michel.