Meet Rubina Leal: The Trailblazing First Female President of Madeira's Parliament

Early Life and Education

Born in Funchal in July 1966, Rubina Maria Branco Leal Vargas is the daughter of a former parish president and a primary school teacher. She grew up in São Gonçalo and explored various activities as a child, including skating, gymnastics, swimming, and scouting. In a 2007 interview, she stated, "I learned a lot in scouts. We learned to be more responsible and independent."

Rubina Leal at age 3, at Porto Santo beach.

She attended the Bartolomeu Perestrelo School, Francisco Franco, and the ‘Girassol’, an annex of Jaime Moniz High School.

Rubina Leal at a scouting camp (first on the right) at age 13.

At 18, she moved to Lisbon for higher education, earning a degree in Sociology from the Institute of Higher Studies in Labor and Enterprise (ISCTE) and a postgraduate degree in Child Protection from the Family Law Center at the University of Coimbra.

Rubina Leal at 21, with colleagues at ISCTE, Lisbon.

Professional Journey

Rubina began her career in 1989 at the Institute of Social Reintegration, where she held various roles, including senior technician, team coordinator, and director of the Madeira Extension Unit until June 2001. From June 2001 to July 2005, she served as chief of staff for the Minister of the Republic for the Region. She was a councilor in the Funchal City Council from 2005 to 2013, overseeing areas such as Housing Promotion and Management, Social Inclusion, Education, Youth, Market Management, and Municipal Inspection. Between October 2013 and April 2015, she worked as an aide to the director for prison treatment and health care at the Funchal Prison.

Interview with DIÁRIO in 2007, when she was a councilor of CMF. Photo by Rui Marote.

From April 2015 to July 2017, she was a regional secretary in the first Regional Government led by Miguel Albuquerque, resigning to run for the presidency of the Funchal City Council, which she lost to the coalition led by Paulo Cafôfo. On October 10, 2017, she took office as a deputy in the Madeira Legislative Assembly, a position she was elected to in March 2015 as the third on the PSD list. During her first term, she was the president of the 6th Specialized Commission of Education, Youth, and Sports and the vice-president of the PSD parliamentary group. Since October 2019, she has served as the vice-president of the Madeira Legislative Assembly.

She is the honorary president of the Community Against AIDS Foundation, which she led regionally for many years, and serves as vice-president of the Madeiran Volunteer Firefighters Humanitarian Association.

Personal Life

Rubina is married and has two sons: Afonso, 31, and Henrique, 26.