Yamandu Orsi, the candidate of the left-wing alliance, Broad Front, is expected to win the run-off election for the presidency in Uruguay.
He did well for Alvaro Delgado of the ruling National Party to win the hotly contested race, although public opinion polls showed the two candidates to be in a tight spot ahead of Sunday’s vote.
Orsi’s supporters took to the streets in the capital Montevideo, as official results began to show the former mayor and history teacher ahead.
Many held up the party’s banner: a red, blue and white striped flag with the FA initials “Frente Amplio”, which translates to “Broad Front”.
“Happiness will return to many,” wrote the coalition social networks as Orsi approaches victory. “Congratulations, people of Uruguay.”
Orsi’s win returns the Broad Front to power in the small South American country, located on the Atlantic coast between Brazil and Argentina.
For 15 years, from 2005 to 2020, the Broad Front held the top office of Uruguay, with the presidency of Jose Mujica and Tabare Vazquez, who ended up winning two consecutive terms, for five years.
But that victory came to an end in the 2019 elections, with the victory of incumbent President Luis Lacalle Pou, who led a coalition of far-right parties.
Under Uruguayan law, however, the president cannot run for consecutive terms. So Lacalle Pou was not a candidate for the 2024 race.
Running for his position was Delgado, a former veterinarian and member of Congress who served as political officer in Lacalle Pou’s government from 2020 to 2023.
Even before the official results were announced on Sunday, Delgado conceded, admitting that Orsi would win.
“Today, the people of Uruguay have decided who will be in charge of the presidency of the Republic. And I want to send here, with all these actors of the alliance, a big hug and greeting to Yamandu Orsi,” said Delgado in his speech with a large Uruguayan flag in his hand.
He called on his supporters to “respect the independent decisions” of voters, as he hit the ground running.
“It is one thing to lose in an election, another to lose. We are not defeated,” he said, pledging that his right-wing coalition “will stay here”.
The outgoing president, Lacalle Pou, also reached out to Orsi to acknowledge the victory of the Broad Front.
“I called [Yamandu Orsi] to congratulate him as the elected president of our country and to put myself in his work and start the transition as soon as I see fit,” wrote Lacalle Pou social networks.
Orsi was considered the frontrunner before the first round of the election.
Originally from Canelones, a coastal region in the south of Uruguay, Orsi began his career locally as a history teacher, activist and secretary general of the departmental government. In 2015, he successfully ran for mayor of Canelones and won the election again in 2020.
In the 2024 presidential race, Orsi – like almost all the other candidates – pledged to strengthen Uruguay’s economy. He called for an increase in wages, especially for low-wage workers, to increase their “purchasing power”.
He also called for education for young children and employment programs for young adults. According to a United Nations report earlier this year, about 25 percent of Uruguay’s children are poor.
But the economy was not the only issue that was a priority for voters. In a June survey by the communications company Nomade, the majority of respondents – 29 percent – identified “insecurity” as the “biggest problem” in Uruguay.
That dropped the second-highest-ranked topic: “Unemployment” was chosen by only 15 percent of respondents.
As part of his speech, Orsi promised to increase the police force and strengthen Uruguay’s borders, including the installation of more security cameras.
During his campaign, Orsi enjoyed the support of former President Mujica, a former rebel hero who survived persecution under Uruguay’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s.
Mujica remains a popular figure on the Uruguayan left, best known for his low-key lifestyle that earned him the title of “world’s poorest president”.
In the first round of voting, on October 27, Orsi came out on top, with 44% of the votes to Delgado’s 27%. But his total fell short of the 50 percent he needed to win outright, prompting a run-off.
The race has gotten tougher since then. Only two candidates made it to the run-off – Delgado and Orsi – and Delgado received support from voters who supported Colorado Party candidate Andres Ojeda, and his right-wing colleague who was eliminated in the first round.
However, Orsi was quick to come out after the polls closed in the run-off election on Sunday.
“The horizon is bright,” Orsi said in his victory speech. “The land of liberty, equality and brotherhood triumphs once again.”
