A REFORM Jersey politician has been recognised internationally for “an impressive record of achievement” in her first years as a parliamentarian.
Deputy Raluca Kovacs, who was elected to the States Assembly in 2022, has been named the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s New Parliamentarian of the Year 2024.
The award is aimed at first-term politicians from across Commonwealth jurisdictions – an area comprising around 180 parliaments and legislatures across the world – who have advocated for democracy and good governance.
Deputy Kovacs was praised for speaking up for gender equality, promoting findings about violence against women and girls, driving youth engagement with politics, increasing financial support for parents of babies in neonatal care and pushing for free wound dressings.
She said she was “truly humbled, honoured and very grateful” for the award and added: “This is especially important for me, being the first Romanian national elected in a British parliament and serving in an assembly where English is not my first language.”
Deputy Rob Ward, who chairs the CPA Jersey branch’s executive committee, added that the award was “a testament to Raluca Kovacs’s hard work and commitment to her role as a States Member”.
“We are immensely proud of her achievement and offer our congratulations,” he said.
