Isabel Mendes Lopes

{{Short description|Portuguese politician (born 1982)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

{{Portuguese name|Rendeiro Marques|Mendes Lopes}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Isabel Mendes Lopes

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Isabel Mendes Lopes.jpg

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| caption = Lopes in June 2021

| office1 = Member of the Assembly of the Republic

| constituency1 = Lisbon

| term_start1 = 26 March 2024

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 =

| successor1 =

| office2 = Member of Lisbon City Council

| term_start2 = October 2021

| term_end2 =

| predecessor2 =

| successor2 =

| birth_name = Isabel Rendeiro Marques Mendes Lopes

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|02|28|df=yes}}

| birth_place = United Kingdom

| death_date =

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| citizenship =

| nationality =

| party = LIVRE

| otherparty =

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| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater = Instituto Superior Técnico

| occupation = Civil engineer

| profession =

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}}

Isabel Rendeiro Marques Mendes Lopes (born 28 February 1982) is a Portuguese civil engineer, politician and member of the Assembly of the Republic, the national legislature of Portugal. A member of the LIVRE party, she has represented Lisbon since March 2024.

Early life

Lopes was born on 28 February 1982 in the United Kingdom.{{cite web |title=Deputados: Biografia - Isabel Mendes Lopes |url=https://www.parlamento.pt/DeputadoGP/Paginas/Biografia.aspx?BID=7356 |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328234828/https://www.parlamento.pt/DeputadoGP/Paginas/Biografia.aspx?BID=7356 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}} She moved to Portugal at the age of two and lives in Lisbon.{{cite news |last1=Bernardino |first1=Carla |title=Quem é Isabel Mendes Lopes, a nova líder da bancada parlamentar do Livre |url=https://www.jn.pt/3563597385/quem-e-isabel-mendes-lopes-a-nova-lider-da-bancada-parlamentar-do-livre/ |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=Jornal de Notícias |date=19 March 2024 |location=Porto, Portugal |language=pt}}{{cite news |title=Isabel Mendes Lopes eleita líder parlamentar do Livre |url=https://www.cmjornal.pt/politica/detalhe/isabel-mendes-lopes-eleita-lider-parlamentar-do-livre?ref=Mais%20Sobre_BlocoMaisSobre |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=Correio da Manhã |agency=Lusa News Agency |date=19 March 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}} She has a degree in civil engineering (2005) from the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST).{{cite news |last1=Begonha |first1=Ana Bacelar |title=Livre escolhe Isabel Mendes Lopes para líder parlamentar |url=https://www.publico.pt/2024/03/19/politica/noticia/livre-escolhe-isabel-mendes-lopes-lider-parlamentar-2084030 |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=Público |date=19 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327144244/https://www.publico.pt/2024/03/19/politica/noticia/livre-escolhe-isabel-mendes-lopes-lider-parlamentar-2084030 |archive-date=27 March 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}} She also has a master's degree (2008) in mobility and transport from IST.{{cite news |last1=Ferreira |first1=Marina |title=Isabel Mendes Lopes será líder parlamentar do Livre na Assembleia da República |url=https://observador.pt/2024/03/19/isabel-mendes-lopes-sera-lider-parlamentar-do-livre-na-assembleia-da-republica/ |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=Observador |date=19 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327235329/https://observador.pt/2024/03/19/isabel-mendes-lopes-sera-lider-parlamentar-do-livre-na-assembleia-da-republica/ |archive-date=27 March 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}}

Career

Lopes is a civil engineer by profession, specialising in transport and planning.{{cite web |title=Isabel Mendes Lopes |url=https://partidolivre.pt/?team=isabel-mendes-lopes |publisher=LIVRE |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319141444/https://partidolivre.pt/?team=isabel-mendes-lopes |archive-date=19 March 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}} She worked for Infraestruturas de Portugal until 2022. She has been a storyteller of children's books since 2018 and has also done theatrical work.

Interested in building a more just and dignified society and strengthening democracy, Lopes was involved with the Congresso Democrático das Alternativas (Democratic Congress of Alternatives) and similar organisations.{{cite news |last1=Coelho |first1=Liliana |title=O Livre para lá de Joacine: quem são as (novas) caras do partido? |url=https://expresso.pt/politica/2020-01-20-O-Livre-para-la-de-Joacine-quem-sao-as--novas--caras-do-partido- |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=Expresso |date=20 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121231945/https://expresso.pt/politica/2020-01-20-O-Livre-para-la-de-Joacine-quem-sao-as--novas--caras-do-partido- |archive-date=21 November 2023 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}} She has been a member of the LIVRE party since its foundation in 2013 and was part of the Contact Group, the party's executive body, from 2015 to 2022.{{cite web |title=Isabel Mendes Lopes |url=https://partidolivre.pt/primarias-legislativas-2022/lisboa/isabel-mendes-lopes |publisher=LIVRE |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313193155/https://partidolivre.pt/primarias-legislativas-2022/lisboa/isabel-mendes-lopes |archive-date=13 March 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}} She was a political advisor to LIVRE's parliamentary office from 2022 to 2024. She has been a member of Lisbon City Council since 2021. At the 2022 legislative election Lopes was placed second on LIVRE's list of candidates in Lisbon but the party only won a single seat in the constituency.{{cite web |title=Candidatos |url=https://www.eleicoes.mai.gov.pt/legislativas2022/candidatos |website=Eleições legislativas 30 de janeiro de 2022 |publisher=Ministry of Internal Administration |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116151420/https://www.eleicoes.mai.gov.pt/legislativas2022/candidatos |archive-date=16 January 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}} She was elected to the Assembly of the Republic at the 2024 legislative election.{{cite web |title=Candidatos |url=https://www.legislativas2024.mai.gov.pt/candidatos |website=Eleições legislativas 10 de março de 2024 |publisher=Ministry of Internal Administration |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311152645/https://www.legislativas2024.mai.gov.pt/candidatos |archive-date=11 March 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}} After the election the party's parliamentary group unanimously chose Lopes to be its leader.

Electoral history

class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;"

|+ Electoral history of Isabel Mendes Lopes

! scope=col|Election

! scope=col|Constituency

! scope=col colspan="2"|Party

! scope=col colspan="2"|Alliance

! scope=col|No.

! scope=col|Result

2021 local{{cite magazine |title=Série I - Comissão Nacional de Eleições: Mapa Oficial n.º 1-2/2021 - Mapa oficial dos resultados das eleições gerais para os titulares dos órgãos das autarquias locais de 26 de setembro de 2021 |magazine=Diário da República |date=29 November 2021 |volume=2021 |issue=231 |pages=57-(311) |url=https://cne.pt/sites/default/files/dl/al2021_mapa_resultados.pdf |access-date=23 March 2024 |via=National Elections Commission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216235758/https://cne.pt/sites/default/files/dl/al2021_mapa_resultados.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2024 |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt}}Lisbon Municipal Assembly{{party color cell|LIVRE}}LIVREMore Lisbonalign=right|8Elected
2022 legislativeLisbon{{party color cell|LIVRE}}LIVREalign=right|2Not elected
2024 legislativeLisbon{{party color cell|LIVRE}}LIVREalign=right|2Elected

References