Uruguay’s newly elected President Yamandu Orsi, whose political ambitions were inspired by his experience growing up in a dictatorship, was voters’ favorite to win for the center-left in the second round of the South American nation’s presidential election on Sunday.
The 57-year-old former history teacher and local mayor managed to oust the ruling conservative faction from power. He finished first in the November second round for the left-leaning Broad Front coalition with 49.8% of the vote, while Alvaro Delgado of the governing centre-right National Party received 45.9%.
During the campaign, Orsi tried to reassure Uruguayans that he did not plan sharp political change in the traditionally liberal and relatively prosperous country of 3.4 million people, known for its beaches, legal cannabis and stable economy. Is known.
The elections were held in a cordial atmosphere, with both parties pledging to work together to take the country forward. Delgado had said before the results that he would invite Orsi to a traditional Mate tea if he won.
Orsi has said he wants to usher in a “modern left” to tackle homelessness, poverty and crime – the major concerns of voters.
The murder rate in Uruguay has increased rapidly in recent years, fueled by changes in cocaine trafficking routes. Poverty rates are among the lowest in the region and have fallen this year to pre-COVID levels, but donors say it is having a disproportionate impact on children.
“The destiny and the future of this country have to change,” Orsi told Reuters in an interview in the capital Montevideo in October. He said his Broad Front alliance is the force to drive that change by striking a different balance between social welfare and economic growth.
He is supported by leftist icon José “Pepe” Mujica, a former rebel turned president, but there are also liberal groups that like his business-friendly tone. Unlike many other countries in the region, Uruguay has rarely had divisive politics.
“I’m going to be a president who will call for national dialogue again and again,” Orsi said during his victory speech on November 24.
As mayor of Canelones, the country’s second-largest region, he was credited with helping woo potential investors and simplifying local bureaucracy to attract international companies such as Google, with some success. He has said that despite the rising deficit he plans to avoid tax increases and instead focus on promoting faster growth.
No coalition has an absolute majority in the lower house in Uruguay after the October elections, but the Broad Front won 16 of the 30 Senate seats. Orsi argues that this puts him in a better position to lead the government.
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Some voters who spoke to Reuters said they worried that Orsi was indecisive and “lacked ideas.”
However, other voters liked that he was moderate and “open to dialogue”, while supportive political allies said he represented a “generational shift” among Latin America’s political left, moving away from business needs and social welfare. Balances.
“He has practical experience,” Mujica, now 89, said in an interview with Reuters earlier this year, championing Orsi as a political bridge-builder.
“He’s willing to tolerate differences and he’s going to build a team. That’s why we support him.”
Orsi adopts an informal, folksy style that somewhat mirrors Mujica – who is famous for his modest lifestyle that included driving a vintage VW Beetle to work during his 2010-2015 presidency.
Orsi is often photographed carrying traditional mate tea, walking his dog Ramon, and wearing casual clothes. He has said that if elected, he will not live in the presidential residence like Mujica.
While he has been guarded on concrete policies – giving little information in discussions with Reuters – he has said he plans to boost funding for the prison system and strengthen cooperation with Europe on tackling drug crime. Is of.
Orsi says politics was never a part of his family life, growing up in a rural area of Canelones where his parents ran a small convenience store. But he went into that world after the elections held after the restoration of democracy in 1984.
“Politics was a dirty word… because we were living in a dictatorship,” he said, referring to Uruguay’s 1973–1985 civil-military rule period, which was one of several dictatorial regimes during that time in South America. There was one. Orsi was 17 when the polls came back.
“That breath of fresh air came into me and is still there,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
