Left-wing candidate Orsi wins Uruguay presidential election

Uruguay elects left-wing president Yamandu Orsi in rebuke of conservative rule, promising national dialogue and continuity.

Left-wing politician Yamandu Orsi was elected president of Uruguay, official results showed on Sunday (November 24, 2024), in a rebuke by voters of five years of conservative rule.

Uruguayans went to the polls for the second round of voting in what became a tight race between Mr. Orsi, of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) alliance, and Alvaro Delgado of the National Party, a member of outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou's center-right Republican Coalition.

Mr. Orsi promised in a victory speech on Sunday (November 24, 2024) evening to be a president "who calls again and again for national dialogue to find the best solutions."

Mr. Delgado meanwhile conceded defeat, saying he was sending "a big hug and a greeting to Yamandu Orsi."

Though the election will shift the balance of power in Uruguay, analysts did not foresee a massive change in the country's economic direction, with Mr. Orsi having previously promised "change that will not be radical."

Both candidates pledged to fight crime linked to drug trafficking and to boost economic growth, which is recovering from the slowdown brought by the Covid-19 pandemic and a historic drought.

Mr. Orsi won 1,196,798 votes compared to Mr. Delgado's 1,101,296, the country's Electoral Court said -- 49.8 percent to 45.9 percent.