Henrique Gouveia e Melo spoke in Peniche, Leiria district, during the Campus da Liberdade 2025 initiative organized by the Instituto +Liberdade.
The admiral argued that there are advantages in “not being a traditional politician”, which he described as someone who “enters party youth organizations, has a political career without much practical experience beyond political-party consensus, political-party intrigue, but then cannot solve things, does not have a true vision for the country, is not transformative”.
In remarks to journalists after addressing the youth, the admiral stated that his candidacy is “the only one at the moment that is supra-party”.
“I am not here to solidify any party electorate, nor to defend any party ideology, and I am a truly supra-party candidate. Therefore, my only party, I will say that I have a party, I will acknowledge it, but my party is Portugal. It is not an ideological party,” he emphasized.
When asked by a young person about his ideological stance, Henrique Gouveia e Melo stated that, economically, he is “more to the right” because “the economic engine must be friction-free, as a motor full of friction fails to develop its maximum potential”.
“On the other hand, there are important social areas, because otherwise we will leave a part of society without opportunities. In that respect, I am left-wing,” he added, noting that he positions himself at the center.
In his participation in the initiative, during which he answered questions from several young people for half an hour, the retired admiral stated that it is necessary “to find a balance between maximum freedom of this economic engine in a liberal market economy, which allows the economy to accelerate, a much more productive economy, but on the other hand, taking care of social elevators”.
Gouveia e Melo also assured that he will not use the popularity of the position to create or support a political party: “I swear I will never do that.”
When questioned if he agrees with a revision of the Constitution, the candidate for the presidency at the upcoming elections early next year said that, although the Fundamental Law “has some room for improvement”, as “there is always room to clear some ideology”, that is not a current priority.
Gouveia e Melo argued that “the powers of the President should neither be expanded nor diminished,” asserting that “the President has enough powers, and they are sufficient to ensure the regular functioning of democratic institutions”.
In his opinion, the electoral system also has room for improvement and should “be more proportional”.
“But it is a process that should be approached carefully, as you know or can imagine, altering the Portuguese electoral system could mean trying to influence a process for the future. Therefore, we should do this with the greatest possible national consensus,” he indicated.
The candidate opposed the dissolution of parliament during António Costa’s last government, arguing that a “personal problem” of the prime minister does not undermine the legitimacy of the Assembly of the Republic.
“Curiously, during that period, I was accused of being an individual with a constitutional interpretation that, somehow, was a generator of instability. It was the contrary interpretations that were generators of instability,” he said, considering that transforming the country requires reforms that are not feasible with “short governance cycles, of seven months, one year, or one and a half years”.
When asked if he would have accepted Mário Centeno as prime minister, he responded that the proposal would have to be made by parliament, and if so, “it would have to be accepted”.
