Elections in South America: Left-wing candidate Orsi wins presidential election in Uruguay

The left-wing candidate Yamandú Orsi has been elected as the next president of the small South American country in the runoff election in Uruguay. “I will be a president who continually calls for national dialogue to find the best solutions,” said Canelones, the department’s former head of administration. After almost all votes were counted, the former teacher received almost 50 percent of the vote, while his conservative competitor Álvaro Delgado received around 46 percent of the vote.

Outgoing conservative President Luis Lacalle Pou wrote on the X news platform that he had called Orsi to congratulate him on his election victory. According to the newspaper “El Observador”, his losing party colleague Delgado told his supporters: “Sadly, but without feelings of guilt, we can congratulate the one who won – sincerely and with all our hearts.”

Orsi had announced that he would fight poverty and take decisive action against corruption. He said to his supporters after his election victory that he would stand up for a society in which no one is left behind.

In Latin America, which is marked by strong polarization, political violence and authoritarian tendencies, Uruguay, with its almost 3.5 million inhabitants, is considered a model democratic country. Since the return to democracy 40 years ago, center-right and center-left governments have alternated.