Yamandu Orsi finished well in the lead in the first round on October 27 with 43.9% of the votes. This former history teacher from the left-wing Frente Amplio coalition promised to be “the president who will call again and again for national dialogue to find the best solutions.”
Yamandu Orsi, the left-wing opposition candidate for the Uruguayan presidential election, won the second round of the election on Sunday. This victory marks the return to power of the left of ex-president José Mujica.
On 94.4% of the ballots counted, Mr. Orsi obtained 1,123,420 votes against 1,042,001 for his center-right opponent Alvaro Delgado, according to official results communicated by the Electoral Court.
“I will be the president who calls again and again for national dialogue to find the best solutions, of course by following our vision, but also by listening very carefully to what others tell us”reacted during a speech to his supporters the president-elect, a former history professor from the left-wing coalition Frente Amplio.
“A sure change that will not be radical”
Mr. Delgado, a former veterinarian from the same right-wing National Party as outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou, conceded defeat on Sunday evening. “Today, the Uruguayan people have chosen (the one) who will occupy the presidency of the Republic”Mr. Delgado said, saying “greet” Mr. Orsi on behalf of “all the actors of the (governmental) coalition” who supported him.
Yamandu Orsi finished well in the lead in the first round on October 27 with 43.9% of the votes, ahead of Mr. Delgado (26.8%), who however had the reservoir of votes of Andres Ojeda, of the Colorado party (center right) , came in third position (16%). Mr. Orsi's victory, however, does not augur any sign of a change of direction, the president-elect having promised, when he was still a candidate, “a sure change that will not be radical”.
“I would like to congratulate (…) President-elect Yamandu Orsi, Frente Amplio and my friend Pepe Mujica for their victory in today's elections”reacted on X the president of neighboring Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. “It’s a victory for all of Latin America and the Caribbean”he noted.
Javier Milei reacts
During the campaign, MM. Orsi and Delgado insisted on reviving growth and reducing the budget deficit. They pledged not to increase the tax burden and promised to fight against increasing crime linked to drug trafficking.
Mr. Orsi also wishes to develop exchanges on a regional scale.
“I would like to congratulate (…) the elected president Yamandu Orsi, the Frente Amplio and my friend Pepe Mujica,” reacted on X the president of neighboring Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. “It is a victory for all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” he noted.
Other Latin American leaders welcomed Mr. Orsi's victory, such as ultra-liberal Argentinian Javier Milei who re-shared on X a message from the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulating the president-elect.
Employment and security
If Uruguay has a high per capita income, as well as lower levels of poverty and inequality compared to the rest of South America, employment and security have been placed at the center of the concerns of 3.4 million inhabitants of the country with 12 million head of cattle.
Outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou, in power since 2020, was unable to run again despite a popularity rating of 50%, because the Constitution prohibits running for a second consecutive term.
He promised a transition “ordered” in the most stable country in Latin America, with parties with a long history, with clear identities despite their unions in coalitions and whose membership is transmitted even within families.
The youth vote
Despite his 89 years, his fight against cancer and difficulty getting around, Mr. Mujica, a former guerrilla who had been tortured under the military dictatorship, increased his appearances and meetings to attract the vote of young and undecided people who seemed hold the key to the vote. Outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou was unable to run again despite a popularity rating of 50%, because the Constitution prohibits running for a second consecutive term. He promised a transition “ordered”.
On October 27, concurrent first-round parliamentary elections saw the Frente Amplio win 16 of the 30 seats in the Senate and 48 of the 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. During his campaign, Mr. Orsi stressed that this result offered his camp the conditions to “carry out the transformations that the country needs”.
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