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Raquel Peña (politician) facts for kids

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Excelentísima Señora
Raquel Peña
20250524 Quito posesion del presidente Daniel Noboa-Ovidio González2497 (cropped).jpg
Peña in 2025
40th Vice President of the Dominican Republic
Assumed office
16 August 2020
President Luis Abinader
Preceded by Margarita Cedeño
Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources
Acting
16 June 2022 – 7 July 2022
President Luis Abinader
Preceded by Orlando Jorge Mera
Succeeded by Miguel Ceara Hatton
Personal details
Born
Raquel Peña Rodríguez

(1966-09-10) 10 September 1966 (age 58)
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
Political party Modern Revolutionary Party
Spouse Marco José Antuña Cabral (d. 2019)
Children 3
Alma mater Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra
Université du Québec (MBA)

Raquel Peña Rodríguez de Antuña was born on September 10, 1966. She is a politician and academic from the Dominican Republic. Since 2020, she has served as the 40th Vice President of the Dominican Republic. She works alongside President Luis Abinader.

Early Life and Education

Raquel Peña was born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Her parents are Rafael Leocadio Peña Guillén and Estela Rodríguez de Peña. Her father worked as a cigar salesman.

She went to school in Santiago de los Caballeros. She attended Sagrado Corazón de Jesús and La Salle schools. She earned a degree in business administration. This was from Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM). In 2002, she also earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA). She received this degree from the Université du Québec.

Career and Public Service

Raquel Peña took charge of her family's businesses. These included companies in trade and tobacco. She also owns shares in a large industrial park.

In 2000, she started teaching at PUCMM. She became the director of Business Administration there. From 2015 to 2020, she was the financial vice-rector of PUCMM. This means she managed the university's money.

Entering Politics

Peña's family had connections with important political figures. These included Hipólito Mejía and Luis Abinader. In the 2012 election, Peña led the campaign for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM). She was in charge of their efforts in Santiago de los Caballeros.

In 2020, Luis Abinader chose Peña as his running mate. He was the presidential candidate for the PRM. They won the election together. Raquel Peña became the third woman to serve as Vice President. The other two were Milagros Ortiz Bosch and Margarita Cedeño.

Role as Vice President

As Vice President, President Abinader gave her an important job. He made her the coordinator of the Health cabinet. In this role, she helped manage the Dominican Republic's response. This was during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, she also temporarily led the Ministry of Environment. She held this position until a new leader could be chosen.

Personal Life

Raquel Peña was married to Marco José Antuña Cabral. They had three children together. Marco José Antuña Cabral passed away in 2019.

Political Views

Peña believes that the court system should be independent. This means it should be separate from the executive branch. The executive branch includes the President and Vice President. She supports the idea that judges should make decisions freely.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Raquel Peña para niños

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