Deborah Schembri

DanCherek: ce

---

Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)
'''Deborah Schembri''' (born 1976 or 1977)<ref name=secretary/> is a Maltese politican and attorney who was a member of the [[Parliament of Malta]] from 2013 to 2017. She is known for leading the pro-divorce movement during the [[2011 Maltese divorce referendum]].

==2011 pro-divorce campaign==

Malta held a [[referendum]] in May 2011 to decide the legality of [[divorce]]. Schembri, a 35-year-old [[family law|family lawyer]] and single mother, chaired the pro-divorce campaign.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name=guardian>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> Because of her advocacy, the [[Catholic Church]] in Malta barred her from practicing law in [[ecclesiastical court]], resulting in a 40 percent loss in her income.<ref name=guardian/> Schembri participated in several televised debates with Anna Vella, the chair of the anti-divorce campaign.<ref name=guardian/> She declared victory on May 29 after initial results showed a majority of voters supporting legalizing divorce, and urged the ruling [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]] to immediately pass the corresponding legislation.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The bill was passed by the legislature and signed into law in July that year.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

==Member of Parliament==
Schembri was elected to the [[Parliament of Malta]] in March 2013 as a member of the [[Labour Party (Malta)|Labour Party]]. In November 2013, she announced her candidacy for the [[2014 European Parliament election in Malta]].<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> She was endorsed by prime minister [[Joseph Muscat]], who had asked her to run. Schembri ran on a platform focused primarily on [[job creation]] and [[civil rights]].<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> She was not successful in the November 2014 election, receiving 5,983 votes and finishing eighth among the Labour candidates.<ref></ref>

She was appointed as [[parliamentary secretary]] for planning and simplification in January 2016 after [[Michael Falzon (politician)|Michael Falzon]] resigned.<ref name=secretary>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> Schembri lost a close race for re-election in 2017, and was succeeded by [[Clayton Bartolo]].<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

==Other activities==
After leaving office, Schembri became a legal consultant for the Maltese [[Planning Authority (Malta)|Planning Authority]] and Lands Authority, and chair of the board of appeals for the government fostering agency.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

==References==





[[Category:1970s births]]
[[Category:21st-century Maltese politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Maltese women politicians]]
[[Category:Labour Party (Malta) politicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Maltese activists]]
[[Category:Maltese lawyers]]
[[Category:Maltese women activists]]

from Wikipedia - New pages [en] https://ift.tt/3dyZEw2
via IFTTT