“Some accuse me of being Left-wing. Curiously, others previously accused me of being Right-wing for being a military man,” stated the retired admiral during an address at the fifth edition of Festa Portuguesa 2025, held in Thônex, Switzerland.
The presidential candidate, who has faced this criticism from his opponent and Chega leader, André Ventura, expressed pride in his past and “origins,” considering these labels as outdated concepts.
According to Gouveia e Melo, “the real debate today is not between capitalism and communism,” but between something “much larger: freedom or dictatorship; democracy or tyranny; integrity or cronyism; transparency or opacity; honesty or corruption.”
“Old labels and dichotomies only serve to divide us, degrade political debate, and fuel intrigue,” he criticized, likening this behavior to a character from the Astérix comic, “the sinister Caius Detritus,” who “spread discord for sheer pleasure.”
Gouveia e Melo, who had a career in the Armed Forces without prior political office, stated that “some find it strange and encourage fears” simply because he comes “from a different background.”
“To them, I can only say that I am accustomed to an austere life, serving the nation and the Constitution I have served for the last 45 years with full dedication and loyalty,” he emphasized, adding that he has “leadership experience based on strong self-discipline and a spirit of service.”
In economic matters, the former Chief of the Navy General Staff expressed belief “in the market and respect for private property, but also in a humanistic capitalism, where the State is a facilitator, not an obstacle.”
“I dream of a country with a strong and prosperous middle class, not a society divided between a few very rich and many very poor. Such a society would be unstable, unjust, and without a future,” he asserted.
Addressing emigrants, Gouveia e Melo praised those who work and “integrate” themselves without forgetting their roots, describing them as “first-class Portuguese.”
“And your children and grandchildren will always be first-class Portuguese, if they wish. Because being Portuguese is feeling that we belong to a living community, which has Portugal in its heart,” he highlighted.
Recalling historical figures such as navigator Vasco da Gama and military leader Afonso de Albuquerque, Gouveia e Melo envisaged “an open, global, and confident Portugal.”
A Portugal, he continued, that “lives among the communities it helped to create” and welcomes other communities “choosing to live among [the Portuguese]—in peace, complying with our laws and respecting the culture.”
“If we want to be rich, we cannot close ourselves off. We cannot return to the time of ‘proudly alone and poor.’ We must heed the bold spirit of our navigators—and not the fear of the old man of Restelo,” he warned.
Gouveia e Melo also addressed the youth, committing to ensuring that they stay in the country or return.
Advocating for a “new economic model based on innovation, productivity, and the appreciation of work and merit,” the retired admiral argued that “double taxation makes no sense.”
The presidential elections are scheduled for January 18.
