Left candidate Yamandu Orsi secures victory in Uruguay's presidential election

Orsi defeated Alvaro Delgado of the ruling National Party to win the presidential race. Delgado congratulated Orsi on his win and said, "Congratulations to the president-elect @OrsiYamandu. Count on us to build the agreements that Uruguay needs to continue moving towards development."

Orsi's victory marks a significant shift in Uruguay's political landscape, as the Broad Front returns to power after four-years. The Broad Front had previously held the executive office for 15 years, from 2005 to 2020, under the presidencies of Jose Mujica and Tabare Vazquez.

Broad Front party shared a post on X, quoting Orsi and wrote, "I will be the president of national growth, the president of a country that moves forward. Let us embrace the idea that Uruguay is one"

https://x.com/Frente_Amplio/status/1860858406464098734

Meanwhile, the outgoing President of Uruguay congratulated Orsi and said on X, "I called @OrsiYamandu to congratulate him as President-elect of our country and to put myself at his service and begin the transition as soon as I deem it appropriate."

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 department's government. In 2015, he successfully ran to be mayor of Canelones and won re-election in 2020, Al Jazeera reported.

In the 2024 presidential race, Orsi pledged to improve the economic situation of the nation. He called for salary increases, particularly for low-wage workers, to grow their "purchasing power, greater early childhood education as well as employment programmes for young adults.

Notably, in the first round of voting, on October 27, Orsi came out on top, with 44 per cent of the vote to Delgado's 27 per cent. But his total was far short of the 50 per cent he needed to win the election outright, thereby triggering a run-off, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)