Assunção Cristas

Maria de Assunção de Oliveira Cristas Machado da Graça (born 28 September 1974) is a Portuguese lawyer, professor, conservative politician. She was the President of the CDS – People's Party from 2016 to 2020.

Assunção Cristas
President of CDS – People's Party
In office 13 March 2016 – 25 January 2020
Preceded by	Paulo Portas
Succeeded by	Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos
Minister of Agriculture and Sea
In office 24 July 2013 – 26 November 2015
Prime Minister	Pedro Passos Coelho
Succeeded by	Luís Capoulas Santos (Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development)
Minister of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Territorial Planning
In office 21 June 2011 – 24 July 2013
Prime Minister	Pedro Passos Coelho
Preceded by	António Serrano (Agriculture and Sea) Dulce Pássaro (Environment and Territorial Planning)
Succeeded by	Jorge Moreira da Silva (Environment, Territorial Planning and Energy)
Personal details
Born	(1974-09-28) 28 September 1974 Luanda, Portuguese Angola
Political party	CDS – People's Party (2007–present)
Spouse(s)	Tiago Machado da Graça
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Lisbon

Since 2017 she's also opposition leader councilwoman in the Lisbon City Council, elected with 21% of popular vote.

From 2011 to 2015, she served as Minister of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Territorial Planning in the government led by Pedro Passos Coelho.

Life before politics

She is a lawyer by training and a professor at the New University of Lisbon. She graduated in law in 1997 by the University of Lisbon,[1] was admitted in the Portuguese Bar Association in 1999 and completed her doctorate in Private Law in 2004.

Political career

Assunção Cristas has been a member of Democratic and Social Centre - People's Party since 2007. She was first elected to the Assembly of the Republic in 2009 elections, representing Leiria. She was re-elected in 2011 elections, participating in the negotiations between her party and the winning Social Democratic Party to form a coalition government.

Cristas led the CDS-PP into the 2019 elections. Her party was defeated, with the CDS-PP losing 13 seats and retaining only 5. She announced her resignation as leader of CDS-PP that evening.[2]

See also

• Ministry of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning

References

1. "ASSUNÇÃO CRISTAS MINISTRA DA AGRICULTURA E DO MAR". Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
2. Rodrigues, Ana Sofia (October 7, 2019). "Assunção Cristas anuncia saída da liderança do CDS-PP". RTP (in Portuguese).