Yamandu Orsi is set to be Uruguay’s next president, after the left-wing leader emerged as the winner of a weekend run-off to lead the South American nation of 3.4 million people.
Orsi, of the Broad Front alliance, secured 49.8 percent of the votes during a second round run-off on Sunday to defeat Alvaro Delgado of the centre-right National Party, who garnered 45.9 percent support.
His victory marks the return of a centre-left government to Uruguay’s presidency after five years of a conservative administration.
But just who is Orsi? Here’s what you need to know about the president-elect.
Early years
A teacher of history, folk dancer and former mayor, the 57-year-old politician is considered the political heir of former President Jose Mujica.
Mujica accompanied Orsi in his campaign and praised him as a new leader able to find the right balance between social, political and economic priorities.
Orsi was born on June 13, 1967, in the rural area of the Canelones department. His father was a vineyard farmer and his mother a seamstress. While living in the countryside, his sister taught him to read and write.
But the young Orsi began to shape his political views and desires in the middle of the dictatorship in Uruguay, which lasted from 1973 to 1983.
After the end of that period, Orsi joined the Popular Participation Movement led by Mujica, the ex-guerrilla leader who became president in 2010.
Supporters hold face cutouts of Orsi after polls closed in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, November 24 [Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo]
Campaign promises
Orsi has said he wants to usher in “a modern left” to tackle homelessness, poverty and crime – a key concern among Uruguayan voters.
Homicide rates in the country have risen sharply in recent years, fuelled by changing cocaine smuggling routes.
The poverty rate is one of the lowest in the region and has dropped back down to pre-COVID-19 levels this year, but charities say it continues to affect children disproportionately.
“The destiny and future of this country has to change,” Orsi told the Reuters news agency in an interview in the capital Montevideo last month, saying his Broad Front coalition would strike a different balance between social welfare and economic growth.
As mayor of Canelones, in the country’s second-largest region, he was credited with helping to lure prospective investors and easing local bureaucracy to attract international firms such as Google, with some level of success.
He has said he plans to avoid tax hikes despite a growing deficit, and instead focus on spurring faster growth.
During his victory speech on Sunday, Orsi pledged to “be the president who calls for national dialogue again and again”.
Orsi supporters celebrate following early run-off election results in Montevideo, November 24 [Andres Cuenca/Reuters]
Folksy style
The father of twins campaigned as a moderate with a down-to-earth approach.
But his failure to set out a clear plan for government drew criticism. He also declined to take part in debates and gave few media interviews.
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 Orsi having previously promised “change that will not be radical”.
Orsi’s administration is to take office next March, and like Mujica – best known for his humble living arrangements that once earned him the moniker of the “world’s poorest president” – he has said that he will not live in the presidential residence.
Orsi has several similarities with his political godfather, such as a love for the countryside and a quiet lifestyle.
He is often photographed carrying traditional mate tea, walking his dog, Ramon, and dressing casually.
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