by Rhonda Massad
A 26-year-old high school teacher virtually unknown to politics won against favorite former provincial cabinet minister Yolande James, Wednesday to win the Liberal party nomination for the April federal by-election in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent riding.
After a month and half of old fashion door to door every night for three hours, Emmanuella Lambropoulos was surprised to walk away with the nomination. She credits her win to her last email sent out to the residents where she shows concerns for St. Laurent residents.
“I’m shocked,” Lambropoulos said afterward. “I’m surprised I won. The media had no idea I was running. But going door to door, and showing my true self in my speech and in the email that I sent to all the members — people saw it was someone really from St-Laurent who knew their concerns.”
Lambropoulos was the only of the three candidates to live in the riding with her headquarters out of her grandmother’s living room.
Second place was Marwah Rizqy, a tax lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for the Liberals in another Montreal riding in the 2015 federal election.
Lambropoulos is a high school teacher in Montreal’s Rosemont neighbourhood and has worked for the Saint-Laurent riding association.
The Saint-Laurent riding is traditionally Liberal and is expected to take the seat in the byelection on April 3.