Claudia Kubenea
Claudia Kubenea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Tionól | |
| Assumed office 27 February 2019 | |
| Ceann Comhairle | Proinnsias Ó Loingsigh |
| Teachta Comhthionól for Spálgleann South | |
| Assumed office 12 June 2007 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1979 Spálgleann, Caldia |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
Claudia Kubenea (born 12 March 1984) is a Caldish Social Democratic Party politician who has served as First Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Tionól since February 2019. Since 2007, she has served as the Teachta Comhthionól for the the Spálgleann South constituency.
In the Tionól, she has served on a variety of committees. From 2007 to 2014 she served on the Foreign Affairs Committee and later chaired the Subcommittee on International Aid from 2012-2014. She served on the Labour and Industry Committee from 2014 to 2017 and later the Education, Family, and Research Committee from 2017 until 2019. From 2012 until 2014 she was spokesperson for foreign affairs for the Social Democratic Party. She was elected as First Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Comhthionól Náisiúnta in 2019 and assumed the same office in the unicameral Tionól in 2021.
She is seen as the most likely successor to Proinnsias Ó Loingsigh, the incumbent Ceann Comhairle. Ó Loingsigh is 88 years old and it is speculated that he may not stand for another term.
Kubenea is the first parliamentary officer to come from an ethnic minority background. Her parents are originally from The Magadi and she is of Bahian ancestry. She attended the Public University of Spálgleann and has a degree in political science. She is the mother of triplets from her previous marriage, which lasted from 2005 until 2014. Kubenea describes herself as non-religious but as having a Solarian Catholic cultural background.