Maria Olifante was a female human and reporter who covered the Federation Council for the Pangea News Service. A native of the high-gravity world of Pangea, Olifante was of a short, stout stature. In 2379, Olifante attended a press conference where Palais de la Concorde Press Liaison Kant Jorel announced the candidates for the special election for the President of the United Federation of Planets. Olifante asked if former president Min Zife's resignation had anything to do with the recent events on Tezwa and whether the Federation's alliance with the Klingon Empire was in jeopardy. Kant claimed that the answer to both parts was "no." (TNG novel: A Time for War, A Time for Peace)