André Silva (politician)

André Silva
Member of the Assembly of the Republic
In office
23 October 2015 – 28 May 2021
ConstituencyLisbon
Spokesperson of People Animals Nature
In office
26 October 2014 – 6 June 2021
Preceded byPaulo Borges
Succeeded byInês Sousa Real
Personal details
Born (1976-04-02) 2 April 1976 (age 48)
Lisbon, Portugal
Political partyPeople Animals Nature (2012–2024)
Children1
Alma materInstituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra

André Lourenço e Silva (born 2 April 1976) is a Portuguese former politician who was the spokesperson of People–Animals–Nature (PAN).

Biography

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Silva was born in the Lisbon parish of São Cristóvão e São Lourenço (now Santa Maria Maior) on the same day that Portugal's current constitution was enacted.[1] He is a qualified civil engineer, and a vegetarian.[1][2]

He succeeded Paulo Borges as spokesperson of PAN in October 2014. In the 2015 legislative election, he was top of the party's list in the Lisbon District, and was the first PAN representative elected to the Assembly of the Republic. This made them the first new party in parliament since the Left Bloc in 1999.[1][2] He was re-elected in October 2019 along with three other members of his party, allowing them the number needed to form a parliamentary group.[3] In March 2021, Silva announced he was leaving the leadership of the party to dedicate more time to his family.[4]

Silva left PAN in February 2024, stating that the party had lost its "backbone" by casting the decisive vote in favour of a right-leaning Social Democratic Party and CDS – People's Party government in the 2023 Madeiran regional election.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "André Silva, o defensor dos animais que chegou ao Parlamento" [André Silva, the defender of animals who arrived at Parliament]. Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 6 October 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b Lopes, Maria João (5 October 2015). "André Lourenço e Silva, o "utópico" que chegou ao Parlamento" [André Lourenço e Silva, the "utopian" who arrived at Parliament]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  3. ^ Micael, Manuela (7 October 2019). "Veja quais os deputados eleitos pelo seu distrito" [See which deputies were elected by your district] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. ^ Menezes e Sousa, Judith (14 March 2021). "André Silva deixa liderança do PAN: "As pessoas não se devem eternizar nos cargos"" [André Silva leaves leadership of PAN "People mustn't spend eternity in office"] (in Portuguese). TSF. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Ex-líder anuncia saída do PAN. André Silva alega que partido "perdeu a coluna vertebral"" [Ex-leader announces exit from PAN. André Silva alleges that the party "lost its backbone"]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 5 February 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.