In Uruguay, left-wing opposition candidate wins presidential election

Photo: Santiago Mazzarovich Agence France-Presse Yamandu Orsi, a former history professor, is from the left-wing Frente Amplio coalition.

Alina Dieste – Agence France-Presse in Montevideo

Published yesterday at 23:42

• Americas

The left-wing opposition candidate for Uruguay’s presidential election, Yamandu Orsi, won the second round of the election on Sunday, a victory marking the return to power of the left of the emblematic former president José Mujica.

With 94.4% of the ballots counted, Mr. Orsi obtained 1,123,420 votes against 1,042,001 for his opponent from the center-right Alvaro Delgado, according to the official results released by the Electoral Court.

“I will be the president who calls again and again for national dialogue to find the best solutions, of course following our vision, but also listening very carefully to what others tell us,” the president-elect, a former history professor from the left-wing coalition, reacted during a speech to his supporters Frente Amplio.

Mr Delgado, a former veterinarian who is 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] person who will occupy the presidency of the Republic,” Mr. Delgado declared, saying he “welcomed” Mr. Orsi on behalf of “all the actors of the [government] coalition” who supported him.

Yamandu Orsi had finished largely ahead in the first round on October 27 with 43.9% of the vote, ahead of Mr. Delgado (26.8%) who nevertheless had the reserve of votes of Andres Ojeda, of the Colorado party (center right), who came in third (16%).

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Mr. Orsi's victory does not, however, herald any sign of a change in direction, the president-elect having promised, when he was still a candidate, “a sure change that will not be radical”.

Jobs and security

During the campaign, Mr. Orsi and Mr. Delgado insisted on boosting growth and reducing the budget deficit. They pledged not to increase taxes and promised to fight the growing drug-related crime.

Mr. Orsi wants to develop regional trade, while Mr. Delgado leaned toward multilateral agreements.

“I want to congratulate […] President-elect Yamandu Orsi, the Frente Amplio and my friend Pepe Mujica for their victory in today’s elections,” 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 said.

While Uruguay has a high per capita income and lower levels of poverty and inequality than the rest of South America, jobs and security have been a central concern for the country’s 3.4 million people and 12 million head of cattle.

“For workers, the last five years have not been good at all. I’m on the streets all day, and what worries me most is the insecurity,” says Gustavo Maya, a 34-year-old gas canister salesman and Orsi voter. “I see a lot of theft, more and more homicides, and few police officers,” he says.

William Leal, a 38-year-old stonemason and Delgado supporter, believed before the election that the centre-right was the best choice on the issue of employment “because in the construction sector there was much more work than under previous governments.”

Young and undecided, the key

The left has bet on its tutelary figure, José “Pepe” Mujica, the former president (2010-2015) and ex-guerrilla tortured and imprisoned under the dictatorship (1973-1985), to return to power after the Tabaré Vazquez years (2005-2010, then 2015-2020) which had put an end to the hegemony of the right and centre law.

Despite his 89 years, his battle with cancer and his difficulty getting around, Mr. Mujica has made numerous appearances and meetings to attract the votes of young people and undecided voters who seemed to hold the key to the election.

The outgoing president Luis Lacalle Pou, in power since 2020, was unable to run again despite a 50% popularity rating, because the Constitution prohibits running for a second consecutive term.

He promised an “orderly” transition in the most stable country in Latin America, with parties with long histories, clear identities despite their unions in coalitions and whose membership is transmitted within families.

Concurrent general elections in the first round saw the Frente Amplio win 16 of the 30 seats in the Senate and 48 of the 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.