Raquel Arbaje
{{Short description|First Lady of the Dominican Republic, businesswoman and writer (born 1970)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Spanish married name|Arbaje|Soneh|Abinader}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Raquel Arbaje
| image = Raquel Arbaje en 2021.jpg
| caption = Arbaje in 2021
| status = Current
| term_label = Assumed role
| office = 55th First Lady of the Dominican Republic
| term_start = 16 August 2020
| term_end =
| predecessor = Cándida Montilla de Medina
| successor =
| president = Luis Abinader
| birth_name = Raquel Patricia Arbaje Soneh
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1970}}
| birth_place = Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| death_place =
| party = Modern Revolutionary Party (2014–present)
| otherparty = Dominican Revolutionary Party (1988–2014)
| alma_mater = Universidad Iberoamericana (Lic.)
| occupation =
| residence =
| spouse = {{marriage|Luis Abinader|March 11, 1995}}
| children = 3
}}
Raquel Patricia Arbaje Soneh de Abinader (born 1970){{Cite web|url=https://hoy.com.do/raquel-arbaje-celebra-su-cumpleanos-rodeada-de-carino/|title=Raquel Arbaje celebra su cumpleaños rodeada de cariño y reconocimiento|date=21 September 2024|website=Hoy Digital}} 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.{{cite news|title=First Lady of DR, Raquel Arbaje: "a voice for those who have not had a voice." |url=https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2020/08/18/first-lady-of-dr-raquel-arbaje-a-voice-for-those-who-have-not-had-a-voice/ |work=Dominican Today |date=18 August 2020 |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302195153/https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2020/08/18/first-lady-of-dr-raquel-arbaje-a-voice-for-those-who-have-not-had-a-voice/ |archive-date=March 2, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |first=Celeste |last=Pérez |title=Gran reto ser Primera Dama de la República |url=https://listindiario.com/las-sociales/2020/07/08/625280/gran-reto-ser-primera-dama-de-la-republica |work=Listín Diario |date=8 July 2020 |access-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001045622/https://listindiario.com/las-sociales/2020/07/08/625280/gran-reto-ser-primera-dama-de-la-republica |archive-date=1 October 2020 |url-status=live}}
Early life
Arbaje is the daughter of businessman Elías Arbaje Farah and Margarita Soneh, who were both of Lebanese descent. Her uncle Bartolo Soni, older brother of Margarita, was a professional boxer.{{Cite web |date=2021-01-10 |title=Soni y Alí: ambos ayudaron a disolver un mito |url=https://elnacional.com.do/soni-y-ali-ambos-ayudaron-a-disolver-un-mito/ |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=El Nacional |language=es}} She is the third of four siblings. Her father was a businessman who manufactured mattresses.{{cite news|title=Fallece empresario Elías Arbaje Farah |url=https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/fallece-empresario-elas-arbaje-farah-GIDL223555 |work=Diario Libre |date=16 November 2009 |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709123720/https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/fallece-empresario-elas-arbaje-farah-GIDL223555 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |url-status=live}}
Education
Arbaje graduated summa cum laude with business administration degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in Santo Domingo.{{cite news |first=Celeste|last=Perez |title=¿Qué es y cómo funciona el Despacho de la Primera Dama? |url=https://listindiario.com/las-sociales/2020/07/08/625388/que-es-y-como-funciona-el-despacho-de-la-primera-dama |work=Listín Diario |date=8 July 2020 |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228071337/https://listindiario.com/las-sociales/2020/07/08/625388/que-es-y-como-funciona-el-despacho-de-la-primera-dama |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=Raquel Arbaje, madre y Primera Dama solidaria |url=https://www.revistamercado.do/women/raquel-arbaje-madre-y-primera-dama-solidaria |work=Revista Mercado |date=18 May 2021 |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709132111/https://www.revistamercado.do/women/raquel-arbaje-madre-y-primera-dama-solidaria |archive-date=9 July 2021 |url-status=live}} She speaks fluent Spanish, English, and French, and has some knowledge of Italian and Portuguese.
Arbaje is a businesswoman and author of children's literature. She also recorded a song, "'Mi cajita de valores", with the proceeds benefiting the Don Bosco children's nonprofit.
Personal life
She married economist Luis Abinader. Together, the couple have three children – Graciela Lucía, Esther Patricia and Adriana Margarita Abinader Arbaje.
Together with Abinader, Arbaje composed the anthem for the Modern Revolutionary Party, which was co-founded by her husband in 2014.
In June 2020, both Arbaje and Abinader tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 presidential election campaign. Both recovered from the coronavirus.{{cite news |title=Dominican presidential candidate Abinader and his wife are infected with Covid-19; receive broad solidarity |url=https://dominicantoday.com/dr/covid-19/2020/06/11/dominican-presidential-candidate-abinader-and-his-wife-are-infected-with-covid-19-receive-broad-solidarity/ |work=Dominican Today |date=11 June 2020 |access-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111084441/https://dominicantoday.com/dr/covid-19/2020/06/11/dominican-presidential-candidate-abinader-and-his-wife-are-infected-with-covid-19-receive-broad-solidarity/ |archive-date=11 January 2021 |url-status=live}}
First Lady
Raquel Arbaje became First Lady of the Dominican Republic on 16 August 2020. Unlike her immediate predecessors, Abinader and Arbaje announced that the government would eliminate funding for the Office of the First Lady during his presidential tenure. Instead, Arbaje had proposed a much smaller office to handle the schedule and role of the first lady during the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.{{cite news |first=María Isabel |last=Soldevila |author-link1= María Isabel Soldevila |title="No seré una Primera Dama de dar limosna" |url=https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2016/05/07/418353/no-sere-una-primera-dama-de-dar-limosna |work=Listín Diario |date=7 May 2016 |access-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010133408/http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2016/05/07/418353/no-sere-una-primera-dama-de-dar-limosna |archive-date=10 October 2016 |url-status=live}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-hon}}
{{s-bef|before=Cándida Montilla de Medina}}
{{s-ttl|title=First Lady of the Dominican Republic|years=2020–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbaje, Raquel}}
Category:Dominican Republic people of Lebanese descent
Category:First ladies of the Dominican Republic
Category:Dominican Republic businesspeople
Category:Dominican Republic children's writers
Category:Dominican Republic women writers
Category:Dominican Republic composers
Category:Dominican Republic women composers
Category:Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) alumni