Quadrupling of Portuguese Party for the Animals
The Portuguese national elections of 6 October have seen a growth in the number of parliamentary seats for Portuguese Party for the Animals People-Animals-Nature (PAN) from 1 to 4, meaning a quadrupling of the only green party in Portugal that is committed to the rights of both animals and people.
PAN’s elected parliamentarians.
This is a historic result for PAN. Portugal’s electoral system is based on districts, making it difficult for small parties to obtain seats. Nevertheless, PAN has managed to achieve an electoral victory. In addition to André Silva, who has been an MP since 2015, Cristina Rodrigues (district of Setúbal), Bebiana Cunha (Porto) and Inês de Sousa Real (Lisbon) have now been elected to represent PAN in the national parliament. Apart from these four MPs, PAN now also has dozens of representatives in city councils as well as one in the European Parliament.
André Silva and Inês de Sousa Real, two of PAN’s elected parliamentarians, during election night.
MP André Silva: “These results indicate that more and more people are beginning to support our vision for building a more empathetic and conscious society – a society in which everything is protected and treated with respect, from individuals (both human and animal) to the ecosystem. In the last few years, PAN was able to give a voice to animals and people that were not heard, and to put climate and environment high on the political agenda. But most importantly, PAN’s election to the parliament has confirmed that all of us can make a difference! Despite our nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status, we can all contribute to the realisation of a better world for everyone.”
PAN has indicated that they will not be available for the coalition to support the government, but they are planning to devote themselves to the creation of bridges and dialogue.