Maria Begonha (born 1989) is a Portuguese politician, a member of the Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), and a former member of the Assembly of the Republic. She served as secretary-general of Socialist Youth from 2018 to 2020.

Early life

Cristina Maria da Fonseca Santos Bacelar Begonha was born in the Portuguese capital of

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

on 21 January 1989. She obtained a degree in Political Science and International Relations from the

NOVA University Lisbon NOVA University Lisbon (, ), or just NOVA, is a Portuguese public university whose rectorate is located in Campolide, Lisbon. Founded in 1973, it is the newest of the public universities in the Portuguese capital city, earning its name as the "N ...

. Her first political involvement was in the parish of Beato in Lisbon, initially as a member of the executive of the council and then as a member of the Council Assembly. She worked for the Lisbon Municipality between 2013 and 2016 and became a member of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly in 2016.

Political career and controversy

In December 2018, Begonha was elected as the secretary-general of Socialist Youth, the youth arm of the PS. She obtained 72% of the votes cast and became the third woman to head the organization, after

Margarida Marques Margarida Marques (born 3 February 1954) is a Politics of Portugal, Portuguese politician of the Socialist Party (Portugal), Socialist Party who served as a Member of the European Parliament between 2019 European Parliament election, 2019 and 202 ...

(1981-1984) and

Jamila Madeira Jamila Madeira (born 17 July 1975) is a Portuguese politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Socialist Party; part of the Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a Social democracy, social democr ...

(2000-2004). At around the same time she was subject to some controversy concerning a falsification of her

curriculum vitae In English, a curriculum vitae (,

(CV) by claiming to have a master's degree, as well as embezzlement through employment contracts she had been given by local councils in the Lisbon area. However, in 2019 she was elected as a member of the national Assembly of the Republic, representing the

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

constituency. On 2 April 2021 it was unanimously agreed by the Assembly to lift her parliamentary immunity so that she could respond to the allegations. In the National Assembly she worked on the Commission of Education, Science, Youth and Sport and the Ad hoc Commission to monitor the application of measures to respond to COVID-19 and the economic and social recovery process. In the January 2022 elections, she was placed 27th on the list of PS candidates for

, but the PS only won 21 of the 48 seats available.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Begonha, Maria 1989 births Living people Members of the 14th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 15th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 16th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Socialist Party (Portugal) politicians Women members of the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal)