Candidate of the left-wing coalition Frente Amplio, Yamandu Orsi won according to the final official results by 49.8% of the votes against 45.9% for his center-right opponent Alvaro Delgado, man of the outgoing president Luis Lacalle Pou, in the power since 2020. “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,” promised the president-elect, whose talents as a “negotiator” José Mujica praised.
Alvaro Delgado, a former veterinarian from the right-wing National Party, quickly conceded defeat, saying he “salutes” Yamandu Orsi on behalf of “all the actors of the (governmental) coalition” who supported him. Horns and shouts of joy resonated Sunday evening in the capital Montevideo, stronghold of the Frente Amplio, and thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate Yamandu Orsi's victory.
“I’m happy!” The people have won again,” declared Walkiria Paris, a 63-year-old retiree wrapped in the Frente Amplio flag, after the announcement of the president-elect’s victory. The election of Yamadu Orsi, who will take office on 1is March, marks the return of the left to power after a previous sequence of fifteen years under Tabaré Vazquez (2005-2010 and 2015-2020) and José Mujica (2010-2015).
In this country of 3.4 million inhabitants wedged between Argentina and Brazil and considered a haven of peace and stability in South America, Yamandu Orsi, a moderate leftist, assured that his victory augured a “change” which will not be “radical”.
Employment and security
During the campaign, Yamandu Orsi and Alvaro 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.
Yamandu Orsi also wishes to develop exchanges on a regional scale. “I would like to congratulate […] President-elect Yamandu Orsi, Frente Amplio and my friend Pepe Mujica,” reacted the president of neighboring Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on X. “This is a victory for all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” he noted. Other Latin American leaders welcomed Yamandu 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.
If Uruguay has a high standard of living and lower levels of poverty and inequality than in the rest of South America, employment and security have been placed at the center of concerns in this country of 12 million. of heads of cattle.
Young and undecided, the key
Despite his 89 years, his fight against cancer and difficulty getting around, José 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 to 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 an “orderly” transition.
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