Paula Inês Alves de Sousa Real (born 6 June 1980) is a Portuguese jurist and politician who is currently president of the People Animals Nature parliamentary group in the Assembly of the Republic. At the PAN convention on 6 June 2021, she was elected on a single list as the spokesperson of the party.
Political career Sousa Real was elected to the Lisbon Municipal Assembly in 2017 and the Assembly of the Republic in 2019. She is a member of the political commission of the PAN. After André Lourenço e Silva announced he was stepping down, a party congress to elect a new leader was scheduled for the weekend of 5–6 June 2021. For that leadership congress, Sousa Real was the only candidate who stepped forward. On 6 June, she was elected as leader of PAN with 87.2% of the votes in the party's congress in Tomar.PAN: direção de Inês Sousa Real aprovada com 87,2% dos votos, Jornal de Notícias, 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
In the snap elections in January 2022, Sousa Real was the only PAN deputy to be elected as the party fell from four seats to one. She said that the prospect of a Socialist Party absolute majority would be bad for democracy.
In May 2023, Sousa Real retained her position as leader of PAN, receiving 73% of votes in a run-off against Nelson Silva at the 9th party congress in Matosinhos.
Sousa Real was again the only PAN member elected to the Assembly of the Republic in 2024 and 2025. After the latter, she rejected media speculation that her leadership of the party was under threat. Two members of the political commission of the party resigned following the election, alleging a lack of internal democracy.
Electoral history Lisbon City Council election, 2017
! colspan="2" | Party ! Candidate ! align="center" style="width: 50px"| Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|% ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Seats ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|+/− |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|PS | align=left |Fernando Medina || 106,036 || 42.0 || 8 || style="color:red;"| –3 |- | style="background:#0066CC;"| | align="left"|CDS–PP/MPT/PPM | align=left |Assunção Cristas || 51,984 || 20.6 || 4 || style="color:green;"| +3 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|PSD | align=left |Teresa Leal Coelho || 28,336 || 11.2 || 2 || style="color:red;"| –1 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| CDU | align=left |João Ferreira || 24,110 || 9.6 || 2 || ±0 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| BE | align=left |Ricardo Robles || 18,025 || 7.1 || 1 || style="color:green;"| +1 |- | style="background:teal;"| | align="left"| PAN | align=left |Inês Sousa Real || 7,658 || 3.0 || 0 || ±0 |- | style="background:white;"| | colspan="2" align="left"| Other parties | 5,833 || 2.3 || 0 || ±0 |- | colspan="3" align="left"| Blank/Invalid ballots | 10,498 || 4.2 || – || – |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | colspan="3" align="left"| Turnout | 252,481 || 51.16 || 17 || ±0 |- | colspan="7" align=left|Source: Autárquicas 2017
PAN leadership election, 2021
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! align="center" colspan=2 style="width: 60px"|Candidate ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|% |- |bgcolor=teal| | align=left | Inês Sousa Real | align=right | 109 | align=right | 87.2 |- | colspan=2 align=left | Blank/Invalid ballots | align=right | 16 | align=right | 12.8 |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" | Turnout | align=right | 125 | align=center | |- | colspan="4" align=left|Source: Results
Legislative election, 2022
! colspan="2" | Party ! Candidate ! Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|% ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Seats ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|+/− |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|PS | align=left |António Costa || 2,302,601 || 41.4 || 120 || style="color:green;"| +12 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|PSD | align=left |Rui Rio || 1,618,381 || 29.1 || 77 || style="color:red;"| –2 |- | style="background:#202056;"| | align="left"| Chega | align=left |André Ventura || 399,659 || 7.2 || 12 || style="color:green;"| +11 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| IL | align=left |João Cotrim Figueiredo || 273,687|| 4.9 || 8 || style="color:green;"| +7 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| BE | align=left |Catarina Martins ||244,603 || 4.4 || 5 || style="color:red;"| –14 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| CDU | align=left |Jerónimo de Sousa ||238,920 || 4.3 || 6 || style="color:red;"| –6 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| CDS–PP | align=left |Rodrigues dos Santos || 89,181 || 1.6 || 0 || style="color:red;"| –5 |- | style="background:teal;"| | align="left"| PAN | align=left |Inês Sousa Real || 88,152 || 1.6 || 1 || style="color:red;"| –3 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| Livre | align=left |Rui Tavares || 71,232 || 1.3 || 1 || ±0 |- | style="background:white;"| | colspan="2" align="left"| Other parties | 91,299 || 1.6 || 0 || ±0 |- | colspan="3" align="left"| Blank/Invalid ballots | 146,824 || 2.6 || – || – |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | colspan="3" align="left"| Turnout | 5,564,539 || 51.46 || 230 || ±0 |- | colspan="7" align=left|Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições
PAN leadership election, 2023
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" ! align="center" colspan=2 style="width: 60px"|Candidate ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|% |- |bgcolor=teal| | align=left | Inês Sousa Real | align=right | 97 | align=right | 72.9 |- |bgcolor=teal| | align=left | Nelson Silva | align=right | 35 | align=right | 26.3 |- | colspan=2 align=left | Blank/Invalid ballots | align=right | 1 | align=right | 0.8 |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" | Turnout | align=right | 133 | align=center | |- | colspan="4" align=left|Source: Results
Legislative election, 2024
! colspan="2" | Party ! Candidate ! Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|% ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Seats ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|+/− |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|AD | align=left |Luís Montenegro || 1,867,442 || 28.8 || 80 || style="color:green;"| +3 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|PS | align=left |Pedro Nuno Santos || 1,812,443 || 28.0 || 78 || style="color:red;"| –42 |- | style="background:#202056;"| | align="left"| Chega | align=left |André Ventura || 1,169,781 || 18.1 || 50 || style="color:green;"| +38 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| IL | align=left |Rui Rocha || 319,877 || 4.9 || 8 || ±0 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| BE | align=left |Mariana Mortágua || 282,314 || 4.4 || 5 || ±0 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| CDU | align=left |Paulo Raimundo || 205,551 || 3.2 || 4 || style="color:red;"| –2 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| Livre | align=left |Rui Tavares || 204,875 || 3.2 || 4 || style="color:green;"| +3 |- | style="background:teal;"| | align="left"| PAN | align=left |Inês Sousa Real || 126,125 || 2.0 || 1 || ±0 |- | style="background:#1D4E89;"| | align="left"| ADN | align=left |Bruno Fialho || 102,134 || 1.6 || 0 || ±0 |- | style="background:white;"| | colspan="2" align="left"| Other parties | 104,167 || 1.6 || 0 || ±0 |- | colspan="3" align="left"| Blank/Invalid ballots | 282,243 || 4.4 || – || – |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | colspan="3" align="left"| Turnout | 6,476,952 || 59.90 || 230 || ±0 |- | colspan="7" align=left|Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições
Legislative election, 2025
! colspan="2" | Party ! Candidate ! Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|% ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|Seats ! align="center" style="width: 50px"|+/− |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|AD | align=left |Luís Montenegro || 2,008,488 || 31.8 || 91 || style="color:green;"| +11 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"|PS | align=left |Pedro Nuno Santos || 1,442,546 || 22.8 || 58 || style="color:red;"| –20 |- | style="background:#202056;"| | align="left"| Chega | align=left |André Ventura || 1,438,554 || 22.8 || 60 || style="color:green;"| +10 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| IL | align=left |Rui Rocha || 338,974 || 5.4 || 9 || style="color:green;"| +1 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| Livre | align=left |Rui Tavares || 257,291 || 4.1 || 6 || style="color:green;"| +2 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| CDU | align=left |Paulo Raimundo || 183,686 || 2.9 || 3 || style="color:red;"| –1 |- | style="background:;"| | align="left"| BE | align=left |Mariana Mortágua || 125,808 || 2.0 || 1 || style="color:red;"| –4 |- | style="background:teal;"| | align="left"| PAN | align=left |Inês Sousa Real || 86,930 || 1.4 || 1 || ±0 |- | style="background:#1D4E89;"| | align="left"| ADN | align=left |Bruno Fialho || 81,660 || 1.3 || 0 || ±0 |- | style="background:white;"| | colspan="2" align="left"| Other parties | 95,384 || 1.5 || 1 || style="color:green;"| +1 |- | colspan="3" align="left"| Blank/Invalid ballots | 260,648 || 4.1 || – || – |- style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | colspan="3" align="left"| Turnout | 6,319,969 || 58.25 || 230 || ±0 |- | colspan="7" align=left|Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições
References