Cristina Rodrigues (politician) explained

Birth Date:14 June 1985
Party:Chega (2023–present)
Otherparty:PAN (2014–2020)
Independent (2020–2023)
Birth Name:Maria Cristina Pacheco Rodrigues
Office:Vice President of the National Jurisdiction Council of Chega
Term Start:14 January 2024
Occupation:JuristPolitician
Termstart1:26 March 2024
Constituency1:Porto
President:Bernardo Pessanha
Alma Mater:University of Lisbon
Constituency2:Setúbal
Termstart2:25 October 2019
Termend2:28 March 2022

Maria Cristina Pacheco Rodrigues (born 14 June 1985) is a Portuguese politician and lawyer. She was a member of the Assembly of the Republic for Setúbal between 2019 and 2022, representing People Animals Nature (PAN).[1] She was re-elected in 2024 as a member of Chega for the Porto constituency.

Biography

Rodrigues has worked in victim support and as a pro bono lawyer for domestic violence victims and for members of, an animal rights and rescue organisation.[2] [3] In July 2019, she was chosen as list leader for People Animals Nature in Setúbal District, ahead of the elections in October.[2] She and three other women from PAN were elected, joining party leader André Silva in the Assembly of the Republic.[4]

On 25 June 2020, Rodrigues quit PAN, due to objections to Silva's alleged authoritarianism, and sat as an independent. She became only the second independent at the time, along with Joacine Katar Moreira, whose membership of Livre had been rescinded. Her resignation came days after that of PAN's only Member of the European Parliament, Francisco Guerreiro.[5] Later that year, she abstained, so that the state budget would pass, saying: "I will let it happen, but I won't vote in favour of it".[6]

On 23 March 2022, Rodrigues was announced as a new member of the legal department of the right-wing populist party Chega.[7] In 2023 she joined the party.[8]

In January 2024, she was announced as candidate number three, on Chega's Porto list for the 2024 legislative elections, behind Rui Afonso and Diogo Pacheco de Amorim.[9] [10] She was elected.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Biografia. Biography . Assembly of the Republic . 11 March 2021 . Portuguese.
  2. News: Cristina Rodrigues encabeça lista do PAN por Setúbal . Cristina Rodrigues heads PAN list for Setúbal . 11 March 2021 . Diario do Distrito . 24 July 2019 . Portuguese . 26 September 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190926162805/https://diariodistrito.pt/cristina-rodrigues-encabeca-lista-do-pan-por-setubal/ . live .
  3. Web site: SAPO . Proximidade com Ventura dura há meses. Cristina Rodrigues, ex-IRA, foi quem mais votou a favor de propostas do Chega . 2024-01-30 . Polígrafo . pt.
  4. News: Freire . Manuel Carlos . PAN: partido do deputado único é agora partido do homem único . PAN: party with just one deputy is now party with just one man . 11 March 2021 . . 7 October 2019 . Portuguese . 8 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210608230311/https://www.dn.pt/poder/pan-partido-do-deputado-unico-e-agora-partido-do-homem-unico-11380930.html . live .
  5. News: Claro . Luís . O partido que encolheu em nove dias. The party that shrank in nine days . 11 March 2021 . Sol . 28 June 2020 . Portuguese.
  6. News: Deputada não-inscrita Cristina Rodrigues vai abster-se. OE nas mãos do PAN. Independent deputy Cristina Rodrigues will abstain. State budget is in the hands of PAN. 11 March 2021 . . 26 November 2020 . Portuguese.
  7. News: Rodrigues . Sofia . Ex-deputada do PAN Cristina Rodrigues passa a assessora parlamentar do Chega. Ex-PAN deputy Cristina Rodrigues becomes parliamentary consultant for Chega. 23 March 2022 . Público. 23 March 2022 . Portuguese.
  8. Web site: Ex-PAN Cristina Rodrigues já é militante do Chega (e é deputável) . 2023-11-27 . www.sabado.pt . pt-pt.
  9. Web site: Figueiredo . Inês André . Ex-deputada do PAN Cristina Rodrigues é número três do Chega no Porto . 2024-01-30 . Observador . pt-PT.
  10. Web site: Cristina Rodrigues candidata pelo Chega, confirma Ventura . 2024-01-30 . www.sabado.pt . pt-pt.
  11. News: Malhado . Alexandre R. . Galha . Lucília . Cristina Rodrigues eleita pelo Chega. "É uma vergonha", ouve-se na sede do PAN. Cristina Rodrigues elected for Chega. "It's a shame", overheard at PAN headquarters. 25 March 2024 . Sábado . 10 March 2024 . Portuguese.