Da Silva, who stood in a constituency of Val d’Oise, in the Paris region, told Lusa News Agency that candidates for La Repúblique en Marche! really do feel part of “a revolution in French politics”. He described Sunday’s result - which points to a majority in parliament for the new party - as “something historic”.
“This wave is the confidence that the French people gave Emmanuel Macron, who managed something extraordinary,” the 49-year-old businessman said. With roots in Barcelos and Póvoa de Varzim, in northern Portugal, he joined the En Marche! movement on its creation in April 2016. “It’s something that’s never been seen in French political history. Other parties’ voters abstained because they want to give him legitimacy.
“It’s a veritable revolution in French politics,” the candidate enthused. “And I, the son of Portuguese emigrants, form part of that revolution.”