Uruguay Elects Leftist Yamandú Orsi President
TimeDEC 1 2024
Uruguay's Left Returns to Power as Orsi Takes Office
Above: Uruguay's Pres.-elect Yamandú Orsi and his running mate Carolina Cosse after the presidential runoff on Nov. 24, 2024 in Montevideo. Image copyright: Guillermo Legaria/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
After five years of conservative rule, the left-wing Broad Front is back to power amid perceived economic stagnation. This outcome is even more remarkable against the backdrop of a populist trend that, in the past year, has seen Javier Milei elected in neighboring Argentina and Donald Trump elected in the US.
Right narrative
As Uruguayans headed to the polls to cast a vote for their next president, they decided which path the nation would take in the coming years — that of stability, security, and fiscal responsibility, or that of populist promises and soft-on-crime policies. Sadly, the country ended up choosing the latter.