Henrique Gouveia e Melo | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Chief of the Naval Staff | |
| In office 27 December 2021 – 27 December 2024 | |
| President | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa |
| Preceded by | António Mendes Calado |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Nobre de Sousa |
| Coordinator of theCOVID-19 Vaccination Plan Task Force | |
| In office 3 February 2021 – 28 September 2021 | |
| Appointed by | João Gomes Cravinho (Minister of National Defence) Eduardo Cabrita (Minister of Internal Administration) Marta Temido (Minister of Health) |
| Preceded by | Francisco Ramos |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Commander of theEuropean Maritime Force | |
| In office 19 September 2017 – 19 September 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Donato Marzano |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Philippe Rolland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henrique Eduardo Passaláqua de Gouveia e Melo (1960-11-21)21 November 1960 (age 65) |
| Citizenship | Portugal |
| Spouse | |
| Domestic partner(s) | Maria Cristina Castanheta (since 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Naval School |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Portugal |
| Branch/service |  Portuguese Navy |
| Years of service | 1979–2024 (active) 2024–present (reserve) |
| Rank | Admiral |
AdmiralHenrique Eduardo Passaláqua de Gouveia e Melo (Portuguese:[ẽˈʁi.kɨɡo(w)ˈvɐj.ɐiˈmɛlu]; born 21 November 1960) is a retiredPortuguese Navy officer who most recently served as theChief of the Naval Staff, from 2021 to 2024.
Previously, while he was serving asAdjutant for Planning and Coordination of theArmed Forces General Staff, Gouveia e Melo rose to national prominence after being appointed coordinator of theTask Force for the successful nationalCOVID-19 vaccination plan,[1][2] that saw Portugal having the highest vaccination rates in the world. Gouveia e Melo had previously served as a Commander of the Portuguese Fleet (Comandante Naval) from 2017 to 2020 and, from 2017 to 2019, as Commander of theEuropean Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR).[1][3]
Due to his prominent role during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Portugal, Gouveia e Melo was included inJornal de Negócios's list of 50 Most Powerful People of 2021,[4] which included both Portuguese and international personalities. His popularity has made Gouveia e Melo long be tipped by the media as a potential future presidential candidate.[5] He officially announced his campaign for the2026 Portuguese presidential election on 29 May 2025.[6]
Henrique Gouveia e Melo was born in 1960 inQuelimane, Mozambique, which at the time was theOverseas Province of Mozambique, a territory underPortuguese rule. He was the son of Manuel Henriques Gomes de Frias de Melo e Gouveia, of a family of aristocratic roots in theBeira Interior region, and his wife Maria Helena Pereira Passaláqua, ofItalian descent. Through his mother, he is a great-grandson ofViriato Zeferino Passaláqua [pt] (1850–1926), abrigade general,colonial administrator, and pioneer of theSpiritist movement in Portugal.[7]
He spent his youth between Quelimane andSão Paulo in Brazil. As a young man, he earned the monicker "Marlon" — as inMarlon Brando — due to being sought after by the opposite sex.[7] He finally went toLisbon at age 18 to enroll at theNaval School as acadet, in 1979. Each Naval School class is referred to by the name of an historical figure assigned to it as a patron; that year's wasFirst World War heroCarvalho Araújo. In September 1984, at age 23, he finished his studies and was promoted to the rank ofmidshipman.[1][3]
At age 24, in September 1985, he volunteered in the Submarine Escadrille (Esquadrilha de Submarinos [pt]) and sailed in theAlbacora-class submarines NRPAlbacora, NRPBarracuda, and NRPDelfim in several operational roles as a garrison officer and, later, in command positions as a chief officer aboardAlbacora andBarracuda. During his long service in the Submarine Escadrille, which only ended in 2002, he also commanded the submarinesDelfim andBarracuda, led the escadrille's Training and Assessment Service (Serviço de Treino e Avaliação) and the Staff of the National Submarine Operating Authority (Estado-Maior da Autoridade Nacional para o Controlo de Operações de Submarinos; SUBOPAUTH).[1][3]
After three years as a Navy Spokesman and having played a decisive role in the project for the acquisition of the newTridente-class submarines, he commanded, from 2006 to 2008, the frigateNRP Vasco da Gama. He then returned to his activities as a submariner as the commander of the Submarine Escadrille, overseeing the necessary changes to adapt the military unit to the new submarines, namely, thesea trials and thecommissioning ofNRP Tridente. Before his promotion togeneral officer ranks, he served as the Second Commander of the Naval Fleet,Director of Lighthouses, and Director of the Sea Rescue Institute (Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos).[1][3]
He was promoted torear admiral in April 2014, after which he was appointed chief of staff to theChief of the Naval Staff, until 2016, and then briefly served as the Second Commander of the Naval Fleet, leading it in an interim capacity. He was promoted tovice admiral in January 2017, after which he served as Commander of the Portuguese Fleet. At this time, he additionally served as Commander of theEuropean Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR) until September 2019. From January 2020, he was namedAdjutant for Planning and Coordination of theArmed Forces General Staff.[1][3]
Gouveia e Melo took on a high-profile role during theCOVID-19 pandemic, following his appointment as Coordinator of theCOVID-19 Vaccination Plan Task Force, the unit set up by the Portuguese government to assure the strategic planning and logistics for the national mass immunization campaign. Gouveia e Melo was appointed to head the task force on 3 February 2021, following the resignation of the first coordinator, formerSecretary of State for HealthFrancisco Ramos, over a "queue jumping" scandal, in which people not belonging to priority groups allegedly were receiving their vaccines before their turn.[1][8]
After being relatively spared during the first surge of the pandemic due to an internationally-praised timely and effective response, Portugal was at the time under a secondnational lockdown as it was being particularly severely hit by a second wave: the country had the highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the world, and the record numbers of new cases and hospital admissions threatened to overwhelm the strugglingNational Health Service.[9]
Gouveia e Melo began to wear only his green combat uniform in public as well and used not only "the language of war" but military language in public outreach attempts. By October 2021, 98% of the eligible population and 86% of the total population was vaccinated against Covid-19.[10]
On 4 October 2021, shortly after the Vaccination Task Force disbanded, Gouveia e Melo was awarded theGolden Globe for Merit and Excellence in a ceremony inColiseu dos Recreios. As he was presented with the award byFrancisco Pinto Balsemão, formerPrime Minister and Chairman ofGrupo Impresa, he received a standing ovation, and on his speech thanked every Portuguese that had contributed to the success of the vaccination effort and voiced his intention of leaving the trophy at theMinistry of Health.[11]
Gouveia e Melo was appointedChief of the Naval Staff and promoted to the rank ofAdmiral, on 27 December 2021.[12][13]
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The appointment was not without controversy. His predecessor as Chief of the Naval Staff, AdmiralAntónio Mendes Calado, had been in office since 2018 and had in February 2021 been reappointed for a second term of no more than two years. Just as the COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force disbanded in September, theMinister of National Defence,João Gomes Cravinho, prematurely announced that the Government had petitioned thePresident of the Republic to dismiss Mendes Calado and to replace him with Gouveia e Melo.[14] Earlier that year, Mendes Calado had openly criticised and shown reservations over the Government's proposal to make significant changes to the National Defence Law (Lei de Defesa Nacional) and the Organic Basic Law of the Organisation of the Armed Forces (Lei Orgânica de Bases da Organização das Forças Armadas, LOBOFA) in parliamentary hearings, with the Admiral's dismissal being considered by some as retaliation; former Chief of the Naval Staff AdmiralFernando Melo Gomes called it a "political purge" (saneamento) that was reminiscent of thePREC.[14] PresidentMarcelo Rebelo de Sousa called the minister's announcement premature and a mistake, and did not dismiss Mendes Calado at the time.[15] In December, the President announced that as the new National Defence laws with which Mendes Calado disagreed were about to bepromulgated, the "new political cycle" made it now "the right moment" to replace the Chief of the Naval Staff.[16] Mendes Calado publicly announced he was leaving his office "not of his own accord".[16]
Gouveia e Melo was sworn in by the president on 27 December, in a short ceremony atBelém Palace, without any speeches, and with the noted absence of his predecessor, Admiral Mendes Calado.[17][18] Just before the ceremony, he was awarded a GoldMilitary Medal for Distinguished Services by AdmiralAntónio da Silva Ribeiro,Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.[18]
On 11 March 2023,NRPMondego, aPortuguese Navypatrol vessel specifically stationed to police Portugal'sexclusive economic zone aroundMadeira, was tasked to track a Russian ship sailing in the vicinity, north ofPorto Santo Island. The vessel failed to carry out the mission, after 13 personnel refused to board the ship claiming her to be unseaworthy. The Navy rejected the claim, and the sailors were relieved of their duties.[19][20][21]
Gouveia e Melo personally went to Madeira where he publicly reprimanded the crew on the deck of NRPMondego, on a speech underscoring the personnel'sindiscipline and the damage caused to the image of the Navy and of the country; he went as far as comparing the insubordination to themutiny on HMSBounty.[22]
The Navy mounted an inquiry and initiated disciplinary proceedings that resulted in the insubordinates' suspension,[23] which was overruled by decision of theSouth Administrative Central Court due to a series of procedural errors.[24] The Navy unsuccessfully appealed the case to theSupreme Administrative Court; the seamen considered demanding the Chief of the Naval Staff forfinancial compensation for "moral damages".[25] In 2025, thePublic Prosecution Service charged the personnel with the crime of "insubordination by disobedience" provided for in the Code of Military Justice.[26]
| Campaign | President of Portugal in the2026 Portuguese presidential election |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Henrique Gouveia e Melo, formerChief of the Naval Staff(2021–2024) |
| Affiliation | Independent People's Monarchist Party |
| Status |
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| Key people |
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| Website | |
| gouveiamelopresidente | |
Gouveia e Melo retired from active service on 27 December 2024, and was succeeded asChief of the Naval Staff byJorge Nobre de Sousa. That same day, PresidentMarcelo Rebelo de Sousa granted him the Grand Cross of theMilitary Order of Christ.[27]
Gouveia e Melo officially announced his candidacy for the2026 Portuguese presidential election during a public ceremony on 29 May 2025, held at theAlcântara Maritime Terminal.[6]
At the time of the announcement, it was called "the worst-kept secret in national politics".[28] Rumours of a possible presidential bid had been circulating since at least 2021, shortly after he had risen to national prominence as leading theCOVID-19 Vaccination Plan Task Force with widely recognised effectiveness.[5] Gouveia e Melo had initially denied the possibility: in October 2021 when asked to comment on a possible entrance into the world of politics during a lunch organised by theInternational Club of Portugal, he said "If that ever happens, hand me a rope to hang myself"; in 2023, in an interview forRenascença, he categorically denied any such intention.[28][29] However, at the same time, some public statements were seen as hints to the contrary: in December 2021 in an interview forExpresso he described himself as being politically in "thepragmatic centre"; in August 2024, in an interview forEuronews, he called the idea that military personnel cannot participate in politics "antidemocratic"; by September 2024, in an interview forRTP3's "Grande Entrevista", he did not "include or exclude" the possibility of a presidential campaign.[29] In February 2025, he wrote an article forExpresso titled "Honouring Democracy", in which he outlined his political profile, without commenting on a potential presidential bid. In it, he situated himself as "betweensocialism andsocial-democracy" (referring to thecentre-left andcentre-right major parties in Portugal) and defendedliberal democracy.[29][30]
Opinion polls have consistently put Gouveia e Melo significantly ahead other confirmed and unconfirmed candidates.
Henrique Gouveia e Melo marriedclinical psychologist Carol Costeloe in aCatholic ceremony inParede,Cascais, on 22 March 1986; the two have two children,vascular surgeon Ryan Gouveia e Melo, andsoftware engineer Eduardo Gouveia e Melo.[31] They have been separated since 2019, but have only been formallydivorced since 18 March 2025.[32] After his separation, Gouveia e Melo has lived in adomestic partnership with diplomat Cristina Castanheta (b. 1965).[31][32]
Gouveia e Melo does not smoke or drink as he "dislikes losing self-control", the only exception being when he rarely acedes to atoast.[7]
He supports thefootball teamSport Lisboa e Benfica, having been from a young age an admirer ofEusébio who, like himself, hailed fromPortuguese Mozambique.[7]
Grand Cross of theMilitary Order of Christ (27 December 2024)[27]
Grand Cross of theMilitary Order of Aviz (19 August 2021)[33]
Commander of theMilitary Order of Aviz (3 June 2004)[34][3]
Military Medal for Distinguished Services, Gold (4)[3][18]
Military Medal for Distinguished Services, Silver (5)[3]
Medal for Military Merit, 1st Class[3]
Medal for Military Merit, 2nd Class[3]
Medal for Military Merit, 3rd Class[3]
National Defence Medal, 1st Class[3]
Medal of the Naval Cross, 3rd Class[3]
Exemplary Behaviour Medal, Gold[3]
Officer of theLegion of Honour, France (11 November 2024)[35]| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of theEuropean Maritime Force 2017–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by António Mendes Calado | Chief of the Naval Staff 2021–2024 | Succeeded by Jorge Nobre de Sousa |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
