Soher El Sukaria (born 16 May 1975) is a Lebanese-born Argentine politician. She was a member of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Córdoba Province from 2019 to 2023. A member of Republican Proposal, El Sukaria previously served as a member of the Córdoba Provincial Legislature from 2015 to 2019.
Soher El Sukaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| National Deputy | |
| In office 10 December 2019 – 10 December 2023 | |
| Constituency | Córdoba |
| Provincial Legislator of Córdoba | |
| In office 10 December 2015 – 10 December 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 May 1975 Jdeide, Lebanon |
| Political party | Republican Proposal (since 2013) |
| Other political affiliations | Juntos por el Cambio (2015–present) |
| Alma mater | National University of Córdoba |
A practicing Muslim, El Sukaria is the first Muslim woman elected to the Argentine Congress. Since 2023, she has been a councilwoman in the city of Córdoba.
Early life and education
editEl Sukaria was born on 16 May 1975 in Jdeide, a small village in northeastern Lebanon.[1] Her mother, Rosa, is Argentine of Arab descent, while her father, Mounif, was a prominent Sunni imam in Córdoba until his death in 2002. Her parents met during a trip to Lebanon and married there; Soher was born shortly thereafter. The family moved back to Argentina when Soher was a month old, settling in Córdoba.[2]
El Sukaria studied law at the National University of Córdoba and attained a master's degree on International Relations from the same university. She also has a master's degree on International Relations from the International University of Andalusia.[3]
Political career
editAt the 2015 general election, El Sukaria was a candidate in the Juntos por Córdoba list to the Córdoba Provincial Legislature; she was elected.[1] She was later appointed president of the City of Córdoba chapter of the Republican Proposal.[4]
El Sukaria was the second candidate in the Córdoba Province Juntos por el Cambio list to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies in the 2019 general election, behind Mario Negri; the list was the most voted in the province, and El Sukaria was elected.[5] Upon being elected, El Sukaria became the first Muslim woman elected to the National Congress of Argentina – a number of Muslim men, most prominently Eduardo Menem, had previously served in both houses of Congress before.[3]
Electoral history
edit| Election | Office | List | # | District | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | ||||||||
| 2015 | Provincial Legislator | Together for Córdoba | — | Provincial List | 532,322 | 32.72% | 2nd[a] | Elected | [6] | |
| 2019 | National Deputy | Juntos por el Cambio | 2 | Córdoba Province | 1,140,338 | 51.32% | 1st[a] | Elected | [7] | |
- ^ a b Presented on an electoral list. The data shown represents the share of the vote the entire party/alliance received in that constituency.
References
edit- ^ a b "SOHER EL SUKARIA". HCDN (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Tesei, Patricio (20 October 2019). "Nació en el Líbano, vive en Córdoba y puede convertirse en la primera diputada musulmana". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ a b Etcheberry, María Paula (12 July 2019). "En el cuarto oscuro. Soher El Sukaria, la candidata que puede convertirse en la primera diputada musulmana". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Passero, Yanina (5 March 2020). "La pelea por el PRO se concentra en bastión clave: la Capital". Diario Alfil (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Escrutinio definitivo: Macri ratificó su amplio triunfo en Córdoba y Fernández su holgada victoria en Santiago del Estero". Infobae (in Spanish). 4 November 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Escrutinio Definitivo". justiciacordoba.gob.ar (in Spanish). Fuero Electoral de la Provincia de Córdoba. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Elecciones 2019". argentina.gob.ar (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional Electoral. Retrieved 4 February 2023.