At Students For Liberty, we love talking about the ideas of classical liberalism, but what we love even more is when our students turn them into measurable local impact. That’s why we are celebrating the election of Tomas Barreiro, one of our volunteers in Portugal, to the Parish Assembly (a Portuguese term for civil administration district) in Ajuda.
Tomas will be the first-ever classical liberal to be represented in an assembly body in Ajuda. This is especially important as the district has always been dominated by the majority-holding Socialist Party. The left felt safe, and the center-right often regarded these elections as not worth the fight in some smaller neighbourhoods like Ajuda, which also suffered from weak accountability, creating political neglect.
Tomas ran as part of the center-right coalition between Iniciativa Liberal (a party which he represents), the Social-Democratic Party, and the Christian-Democratic Party. Tomas had one goal in mind: to bring the decision-making power back to his community. Despite still being the most voted party, the Socialist Party ended up losing its absolute majority in the parish, and Tomas was elected as the first-ever representative of Iniciativa Liberal in the history of the Ajuda Parish Assembly.
This isn’t an isolated win, however.
Even though the center-left ended up securing the first round of the country-wide presidential elections, the newfound popularity of a classical liberal candidate has broken the “inevitability” of Socialist rule.
In other words, classical liberalism is no longer niche; it is becoming a political force capable of competing for the highest office.
Whether in the Parish Assembly or on the national stage, Tomas advocates for decentralized power and individual agency. In Ajuda, he is working on the issues that matter most to residents: improving public infrastructure and safety, as well as modernization and civic engagement. Further, as a member of our Local Coordinator Program, Tomas is leveraging Ajuda’s university campus to bring students into local political life — developing a community that organizes spontaneously and doesn’t wait for the state to solve problems.
Tomas showed up and challenged, where others saw inevitable loss. And he won.
In doing so, he has proven that classical liberal ideas are relevant and that local community politics can change … if smart, passionate young people, like the ones Students For Liberty empowers, focus on accountability and local empowerment.
As Portugal heads into the second round of a pivotal presidential election, Tomas continues to lead his community. His success is more than a win for one political party; it’s a win for all the students and future changemakers in Portugal who are ready to move beyond the status quo.
