Ernesto Augusto de Melo Antunes junior, GCL (Lisbon, 2 October 1933 – 10 August 1999) was a Portuguese military officer who had a major role in the Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974.

An avid reader since youth, he attended classes at the University of Lisbon in Philosophy (his main interest) and Law.

His most daring project was instigating a military and popular revolt in the Azores, with the promised support of General Humberto Delgado.

He was recognised immediately for his solid knowledge, and he was asked to draft the political program of the Movement of the Armed Forces (MFA).

One of his first roles was to manage the complex decolonization process, following the promulgation of Law 7/74 on July 27, 1974, that "acknowledged the independence of overseas territories."

Although the Working Group comprised key socio-economic figures of the period (Rui Vilar, Silva Lopes, Maria de Lurdes Pintasilgo and Vitor Constancio), the document became known as the Plan Melo Antunes.

This document was welcomed with relief by both the military and civilian population, disenchanted with the increasing hegemony of Vasco Goncalves and the Portuguese Communist Party, and ended up adopted by all as a common program.

Another of his major political intervention occurred on November 25, 1975, when in the face of pressure to ban the Communist Party, he appeared on television to defend its right to continued existence as an integral part of Portuguese democracy.

This act caused him enemies lasting throughout his life, but also led to great admiration for his courage and to his being perceived by many as the "guiding light" for members of the Revolutionary Military who did not wish to see a new dictatorship imposed.