The former coordinator of Portugal’s COVID-19 vaccination process, and a potential presidential candidate, articulated his views at a well-attended luncheon debate hosted by the International Club of Portugal in a Lisbon hotel.
During the hour-long discourse, the former Chief of Staff of the Navy focused primarily on global geostrategy. He took the opportunity to dismiss suggestions that he holds an authoritarian view of the political system or harbors an anti-party culture driven by a messianic ideology for Portugal’s future.
He argued that in the emerging world order—dominated by the United States, Russia, and China—the principle of might prevails, eroding the international law frameworks established after World War II.
“We must be prepared to live in that world,” he emphasized, warning, “those who think otherwise will eventually wake up to reality.” He then offered some insights on national issues.
“What we need are leaders capable of understanding the global environment we are part of, rather than being insular. We require leaders who look outward and foster one of democracy’s pillars: prosperity. Without prosperity, we can only distribute poverty, not wealth,” he cautioned.
This position led him to argue that Portugal needs strategic vision from its leaders to achieve greater prosperity, and also “leadership with values.”
“Leadership must be grounded in values. A fundamental value of leadership is ethics—but I won’t delve into that further,” he said.
Later, in response to audience questions, the admiral revisited the theme of ethics, although he clarified that he does not wish for “immaculate angels without governance ability” and prefers future electoral debates to focus on proposals.
He also delivered a veiled critique, without specific targets, against figures fostering instability.
“Continuous instability endangers us. Opportunities will pass us by like a high-speed train, and missing that train could mean missing out on our development and assertion. This isn’t nationalism but the assertion of a people seeking prosperity, equity, freedom, and security,” he stated.
In this context, he called on national entrepreneurs to be “the commanders and captains of the new Portuguese caravels, as this is the only way our society can be more inclusive, reduce asymmetries, and address another pillar of democracy, which is equity.”
“History has shown that the most advanced democracies, which become very mature, are those where the middle and upper-middle classes are the most significant in number,” he added.
During the questioning period, the president of the International Club of Portugal asked when he plans to announce his presidential candidacy, but Gouveia e Melo was evasive.
“That’s a loaded question, because answering about the date would mean I’m announcing a candidacy,” he began, to audience laughter.
He then spoke of a young man, at 18, who “vowed to serve his country for 45 years, but upon releasing that promise, faces a choice: retire to spend time with his grandchild, or pursue other endeavors.”
“In fact, I’ve spent little time with my grandchild,” he acknowledged.
