Isabel Mendes Lopes

Lopes was born on 28 February 1982 in the United Kingdom.^[1] She moved to Portugal at the age of two and lives in Lisbon.^[2][3] She has a degree in civil engineering (2005) from the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST).^[4] She also has a master's degree (2008) in mobility and transport from IST.^[1][5]

Lopes is a civil engineer by profession, specialising in transport and planning.^[1][6] She worked for Infraestruturas de Portugal until 2022.^[5] She has been a storyteller of children's books since 2018 and has also done theatrical work.^[2]

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.^[7] 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.^[4][8] She was a political advisor to LIVRE's parliamentary office from 2022 to 2024.^[3][4] She has been a member of Lisbon City Council since 2021.^[3][5] 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.^[9] She was elected to the Assembly of the Republic at the 2024 legislative election.^[10] After the election the party's parliamentary group unanimously chose Lopes to be its leader.^[2][4]