Raquel Arbaje
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
21 September 1970
Raquel Arbaje | |
|---|---|
 Arbaje in 2021 | |
| 55th First Lady of the Dominican Republic | |
Current | |
| Assumed role 16 August 2020 | |
| President | Luis Abinader |
| Preceded by | Cándida Montilla de Medina |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Raquel Patricia Arbaje Soneh 21 September 1970 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Party | Modern Revolutionary Party (2014–present) |
Other political affiliations | Dominican Revolutionary Party (1988–2014) |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Bartolo Soni (uncle) Ricardo Arbaje Soneh (brother) Eduardo Arbaje Soneh (brother) Mónica Inés Arbaje Soneh (sister) |
| Alma mater | Universidad Iberoamericana (Lic.) |
| Occupation |
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| Website | raquelarbaje |
Raquel Patricia Arbaje Soneh de Abinader (born 21 September 1970)[1] 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.[2][3]
Arbaje is the daughter of businessman Elías Arbaje Farah and Margarita Soneh Curi, who were both of Lebanese descent.[4][5][6] Her uncle Bartolo Soni, older brother of Margarita, was a professional boxer.[7] She is the third of four siblings. Her father was a businessman who manufactured mattresses.[5]
Education
Arbaje graduated summa cum laude with business administration degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in Santo Domingo.[4][8][6] She speaks fluent Spanish, English, and French, and has some knowledge of Italian and Portuguese.[8][6]
Arbaje is a businesswoman and author of children's literature.[4] She also recorded a song, "'Mi cajita de valores", with the proceeds benefiting the Don Bosco children's nonprofit.[4][3]
Personal life
She married economist Luis Abinader. Together, the couple have three children – Esther Patricia, Graciela Lucía, and Adriana Margarita Abinader Arbaje.[4][6] Together with Abinader, Arbaje composed the anthem for the Modern Revolutionary Party, which was co-founded by her husband in 2014.[4][3]
In June 2020, both Arbaje and Abinader tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 presidential election campaign. Both recovered from the coronavirus.[9]
