Uruguay: Pupil of Mujica, Orsi is elected president; Delgado admits defeat
Support from former president Pepe Mujica was important in the president-elect’s campaign. In poor health and being treated for cancer, the 89-year-old former president actively participated in Orsi’s campaign and spoke of “getting out of the pit” in advertisements after the first round.
Orsi’s running mate, Carolina Cosse, former mayor of Montevideo, will be the country’s vice-president. She competed against Yamandú in the Frente Amplio internal disputes, but lost. Her candidacy had the support of communists and socialists.
The Uruguayan people’s choice can bring the country closer to Brazil. To the Facto Newsthe coordinator of the postgraduate course in International Relations at the São Paulo School of Sociology and Politics Foundation, Flávia Loss Araújo, stated that Orsi sees relations with Mercosur with more sympathy than the current president, Lacalle Pou, and his political godson, Álvaro Delgado, who lost the elections.
This is good news for Mercosur. If he follows in the footsteps of Mujica, who was practically his mentor, this could reduce tensions within the bloc a little.
Professor Flávia Loss Araújo, at Facto News
Who is Yamandú Orsi
Mujica’s pupil was born in a rural area of Canelones, a city with less than 500 thousand inhabitants. He lived in a house without electricity for part of his life and studied at a public school in the city.
