In statements to journalists upon leaving the Ratton Palace in Lisbon, the former Chief of Staff of the Navy said he had submitted "more than 10,000 signatures," a number above the minimum required of 7,500.

"I want to thank more than a hundred people who were throughout our territory helping me collect these signatures. I want to tell Portugal that I come to uphold the Constitution and to honour democracy. My candidacy is the candidacy that can contribute most, at this moment, to the security of Portugal, to stability, and to progress with cohesion," he stated.

In his opening statement, Gouveia e Melo reiterated that his candidacy is "truly above party lines, independent, and transformative."

"For 45 years, I have served Portugal. When Portugal needed me, I was there, I have always been present. I didn't ask the Portuguese people at that time if they were left-wing or right-wing. The only thing I asked was what needed to be done; I did it, I fulfilled it. The Portuguese people know they can count on me," he emphasised.

Recalling that his candidacy "is a candidacy to unite the Portuguese people" and that his party is Portugal, Henrique Gouveia e Melo downplayed the polls, saying he was not "truly worried" about a possible drop in voting intentions in the presidential elections scheduled for January 18th.

"We only have to look at one poll, the poll on election day," he pointed out.

The presidential candidate rejected the idea that anything is going wrong with his candidacy to justify the drop in the polls.

"I think I'm doing my part, the others are naturally doing theirs, and what interests me is asserting my candidacy as an independent, in favour of transformation," he concluded, to applause from the supporters who accompanied him in delivering the signatures to the Constitutional Court, among whom was Rui Rio.

Besides Gouveia e Melo, other candidates who announced their candidacies for the presidential elections include André Ventura (supported by Chega), António Filipe (supported by the PCP), António José Seguro (supported by the PS), Catarina Martins (supported by the BE), João Cotrim Figueiredo (supported by the Liberal Initiative), Jorge Pinto (supported by Livre), and Luís Marques Mendes (supported by the PSD).