United Kingdom. Portuguese candidates are trying to “give a voice” to the people

“BFor me it never comes down to politics. Currently, I have no ambition to do business. The reason I want to do this is because I really want to help the people who live here. I want to give them a voice, I want to have someone to represent them, understand the problems, I’ve lived here, I’ve lived here all my life, “he told Agensia Lusa.

Born in London, but married to a Portuguese, as the daughter of a Portuguese, the 41-year-old employee of a local community organization is running in the constituency. [ward] Waterloo and South Bank, along the banks of the River Thames, are undergoing major urban restructuring.

In 2019, along with some neighboring countries, it attracted huge media attention by denouncing the lack of access to common leisure areas for children in the community home area of ​​real estate development.

“This area is very ‘heavy’ in terms of construction, and this is where Lambeth’s a lot of money comes in. But residents forget. My main purpose is to get residents asked and any decisions made are not negative. Impact.”

Lombard is home to a large Lusophone community, with about 35,000 of the 328,000 population, including Portuguese, Brazilians or Angolans. Portuguese is the second most widely spoken language after English.

Stockwell is also known as “Little Portugal” because of the many Portuguese cafes and shops around it.

In the neighboring district of The Oval, Diego Costa, 23, of another Portuguese descent, was running as the youngest candidate for councilor in Lambert after being encouraged by “comrades” in the Labor Party and the Portuguese Socialist Party. In which he divides.

“They recognized the need for someone to represent the Portuguese community and that was one reason they wanted me to compete,” said computer programmer Agência Lusa.

Growing up in the United Kingdom, Diego Costa thinks he has “an advantage over previous Portuguese councilors in Lambert” because he has “traditions and different ways of doing politics” in Portugal and how “the British system works”.

In the past, Gabriel Fernandez was the Liberal Democrats between 2002 and 2003 and Gilherm Rosa was the two Portuguese councilors for “labor” between 2014 and 2018.

Costa, the former ‘mayor’ of the Lambeth Youth Council, is the current head of the PS faction in the UK, without hiding some political aspirations.

“Most of the Portuguese came in the 1970s or 1990s and are migrants of low-skilled workers who do not speak English. Their needs must be represented in the municipality,” Costa said.

Lambeth has traditionally been a Labor-dominated municipality, so both Diego Cosa and Sarina da Silva are optimistic about the election.

On the other side of town, Sofia de Souza faces a challenge to run for a second term in the Blackwall & Cupid Town constituency for the Conservative Party, which is also in the Labor-dominated Tower Hamlets Chamber.

However, he told Lusa, “Even if the probability of success is low, I will try again. The experience is always worth it.”

“After the last election four years ago, I decided to continue to be involved and start participating in many activities in the community. For example, volunteering with children through girlkiding. I am also a member of the Council of Local Residents. I’m involved, “he said.

The Conservative Party has an absolute parliamentary majority and, unlike national-level politics in government, is the opposition to the ‘Tories’ ‘Labor’ party in Tower Hamlets.

“The name of each candidate will appear on the ballot, so my focus is on providing proposals and results for our residents to trust and vote for,” he told Lusa.

In the north of the city, Lucia Das Neves, of Portuguese descent, is running for re-election to the ‘Labor’ party for the Woodside ward in the Haringi municipality.

Outside the capital, Januvario Guzmவோo and Diego Rodriguez are candidates for the Conservative Party for the Bridgewater City Council in Somerset, Eastover and Bridgewater East & Powtrip constituencies, respectively.

Rodriguez, who was once mayor of the village in 2018, is the first Portuguese to accept such a position in the United Kingdom and is the most experienced mayor of Portuguese descent, having accumulated seven years in office.

Elected by Labor in 2015, he left the ‘Labor’ party in conflict with the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and remained independent for a few months until he joined the ‘Tories’.

Despite the change of parties, he hopes to retain the support of the Portuguese community, which he often helps, and the support of many voters in the city in south-west England.

“I’m one of the most active councilors on social media. People know who I am. I’m done a lot, especially in raising more funds for opportunities for young people,” he says.

Diego Rodriguez, 32, left Madeira at the age of 12 and grew up in the UK, first in London and then in the coastal city of Southend, 2011 in Bridgewater.

Gone are the early days of discrimination as a foreigner, and today he believes: “People recognize my work”.

Also read: Record number of Portuguese candidates in British local elections

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