Raquel Arbaje

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Raquel Arbaje de Abinader
First Lady of the Dominican Republic
Current
Assumed role
August 16, 2020
PresidentLuis Abinader
Preceded byCándida Montilla de Medina
Personal details
Born
Raquel Arbaje Soni

September 21, 1970
Dominican Republic
Political partyModern Revolutionary Party
Spouse(s)Luis Abinader
Alma materUniversidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE)

Raquel Arbaje Soni (born September 21, 1970) is a Dominican businesswoman and children's literature writer. She has served as the First Lady of the Dominican Republic since August 2020 as the wife of President Luis Abinader.[1][2]

Early life[]

Arbaje is the daughter of businessman Elías Arbaje Farah and Margarita Soni, who were both of Lebanese descent.[3][4][5] She is the third of four siblings, including Ricardo (who is deceased), Eduardo, and Monica.[4] Her father, Elías Arbaje Farah, a businessman who manufactured mattresses, died on November 16, 2009.[4]

Education[]

Arbaje graduated summa cum laude with business administration degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in Santo Domingo.[3][6][5] She speaks fluent Spanish, English, and French, and has some knowledge of Italian and Portuguese.[6][5]

Arbaje is a businesswoman and author of children's literature.[3] She also recorded a song, "'Mi cajita de valores", with the proceeds benefiting the Don Bosco children's nonprofit.[3][2]

Personal life[]

She married economist Luis Abinader. Together, the couple have three children – Graciela Lucía, Esther Patricia and Adriana Margarita Abinader Arbaje.[3][5] Together with Abinader, Arbaje composed the anthem for the Modern Revolutionary Party, which was co-founded by her husband in 2014.[3][2]

In June 2020, both Arbaje and Abinader tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 presidential election campaign. Both recovered from the coronavirus.[7]

First Lady[]

Raquel Arbaje became First Lady of the Dominican Republic on August 16, 2020. Unlike her immediate predecessors, President Abinader and First Lady Arbaje announced that the government would eliminate funding for the Office of the First Lady during his presidential tenure.[3] Instead, Arbaje had proposed a much smaller office to handle the schedule and role of the first lady during the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.[3][5]

References[]

  1. ^ "First Lady of DR, Raquel Arbaje: "a voice for those who have not had a voice."". Dominican Today. August 18, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Pérez, Celeste (July 8, 2020). "Gran reto ser Primera Dama de la República". Listín Diario. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Perez, Celeste (July 8, 2020). "¿Qué es y cómo funciona el Despacho de la Primera Dama?". Listín Diario. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Fallece empresario Elías Arbaje Farah". Diario Libre. November 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e Soldevila, Maria Isabel (May 7, 2016). ""No seré una Primera Dama de dar limosna"". Listín Diario. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Raquel Arbaje, madre y Primera Dama solidaria". . May 18, 2021. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  7. ^ "Dominican presidential candidate Abinader and his wife are infected with Covid-19; receive broad solidarity". Dominican Today. June 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
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