The presidential candidate, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, provided clarifications on Sunday regarding the controversy that arose today following the release of excerpts from the book “As Razões,” set to hit the shelves this week. In the book, the former Chief of the Navy is interviewed and discusses his decision to run for the presidency.
“The book will be out soon, and everyone can see on pages 124 and 125 that I never say that the main reason for running for the Presidency is related to the current President of the Republic,” he stated when asked if he wanted to clarify the issue.
“What I say is that in my analysis, I found that my contribution would be better outside the Armed Forces and the Navy, as a politician in the political spectrum, than inside the Armed Forces. That is what is reflected there. There was certainly a misinterpretation of what is written. You can read the original,” he asserted.
The book also references an article from Expresso, which in October 2024 reported that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa intended to block his presidential candidacy by reappointing him as the head of the Navy. “It was that article that made me define my course. Because when I read it, I was really upset,” he replied in the interview now published in book form, which is sparking controversy.
The weekly article, published in October 2024, indicated that Marcelo intended to reappoint Gouveia e Melo as Chief of the Navy to prevent his candidacy, but he would only accept if there was significant investment in the naval force, even mentioning the purchase of more submarines.
When asked if these were the reasons that made him “upset,” he pointed out: “The discomfort has to do with the fact that at a certain point they tried to portray me as someone who was blackmailing the government: that either they gave me two submarines, or whatever, or I would not stay. I never made that blackmail. I was annoyed that they attributed to me intentions and arguments that I never made. I never said that to the government, I never demanded anything from the government. Now: of course, the government knew that if they wanted me in the Armed Forces, it was to play a substantial role and not a lesser role, which I call a ribbon-cutting role. Without resources, what can we do?”
Explaining his position, Henrique Gouveia e Melo argues that to fulfill that role, he could not stay in the Armed Forces, “also breaking the career” of all the officers behind him who had been assisting him: “Due to seniority and age, if I stayed even another year or a year and a half, it would cause all of them to go into reserve – without having the opportunity to lead the Navy. It was also a factor that weighed on me.”
Gouveia e Melo also spoke about the issue of transitioning to political life, acknowledging that he thought it was more important to play a role here, given his situation. “I lost all certainty for an uncertain place, which I am still in today, which is the candidacy.”
Asked about his relationship with the current President of the Republic, who had responded to the statements made in the morning, Gouveia e Melo considered that knowing that was “irrelevant” to the process: “I’m not going to explain.”
Confronted about whether he was pressured not to advance toward Belém, he refused to answer, stating: “There were issues discussed in offices that made me make decisions. These decisions are made in good conscience. And I have said enough for people to understand the reasons that led me to make this decision.”
It should be noted that after the statements that Gouveia e Melo was “upset” were known, the head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was also questioned on the matter, refusing to comment.
“As President, I did not comment on the Presidents who came before me, and as an ex-president, I do not intend to comment on the Presidents who follow, nor do I intend to comment on presidential candidates. That is my principle. I did not give any interview where I said what they claim I said. It does not exist,” he stated to journalists in Vila Viçosa, in the Évora district.
Maria Gouveia | 14:37 – 09/11/2025
Asked again whether he did not pull the rug from under the admiral, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reiterated not having given any interview where he discussed “issues of Armed Forces command.”
