The people of Uruguay will head to a second round of elections on November 24 to choose who will be their next president. The run-off election will be between the candidate of Uruguay’s Broad Front, history professor Yamandú Orsi, and veterinarian Álvaro Delgado, candidate of the right-wing National Party and political “heir” of current President Lacalle Pou.
According to the data of the Electoral Court, with 99% of the votes counted, Orsi obtained 43.9% of the valid votes, while Delgado lagged behind with 26.8%. The great surprise was given by the young politician Andrés Ojeda, of the right-wing Colorado Party, who reached 16% of the valid votes. The Broad Front candidate, representing a coalition of left-wing, progressive, and centrist organizations, would have had to achieve more than 50% of the valid votes to clinch the presidency in the first round.
In a publication in his X account, Álvaro Delgado said, “Thanks to all for the effort, commitment, and militancy. We have a team, party, and program. We are the national hope. Building the result depends on each one of you.”
Yamandú Orsi said, before thousands of supporters, “The Broad Front, among all the parties, is once again the most voted-for party in Uruguay. We are the party that grew the most in this election.”
Despite the Broad Front’s impressive showing in the first round, the failure to win in the first round sends them to an uncertain situation where they may see a repetition of the scenario of the previous election, which saw almost all right-wing parties joined forces to rally around current President Lacalle Pou and defeat the Broad Front candidate.
However, according to several experts, the ballot’s outcome is still uncertain. Many Uruguayans could vote unexpectedly, considering that there was some discontent with Lacalle Pou’s government, and that the other right-wing candidates also sought to capitalize on such discontent during their campaigns.
It is likely that most of the voters of the right-wing parties that did not make it to the second round will vote for Delgado, yet if there is a joining together of right-wing forces like four years ago, it could provoke a certain radicalization of positions which could favor the progressive coalition. In addition, in past elections, the Broad Front has managed to increase their vote share in the second round, which shows that it can always convince more voters than in the first round.
As such the second round elections in November are very much up in the air and the next debate between both candidates will be fundamental to convince the last undecided voters who, according to some criteria, are mostly concerned about the growing insecurity in the country.
Yet, important to point out is that the Uruguayan political situation has not devolved into a situation of toxic polarization like in other countries. Despite having positions that are at odds with each other in several senses, both Orsi and Delgado have expressed their intention to continue to dialogue with each other, whoever wins the elections and create a sort of government of coexistence.
The results of the legislative elections
The next president of Uruguay will have to govern together with a segmented legislative branch. In Uruguay, electoral alliances for deputies and senators are not allowed, so each party must participate separately. The Broad Front obtained the majority in the Senate, with 16 seats in its favor; the National Party with nine; and the Colorado Party with five. In this case, the Broad Front maintains the advantage despite a possible unity among the right-wing parties. Therefore, the Broad Front will probably argue that if Uruguayans want better governance, they should vote for Orsi, as it will be easier to reach agreements with members of his party.
However, in Congress, the Broad Front reached 48 seats, barely two seats short of a majority. The right-wing parties have a total of 49 seats. The remaining seats in Congress belong to “anti-politics” parties (such as Identidad Soberana, a declared anti-vaccine and anti-corporate party) which have not yet declared themselves in favor of either of the two political forces in dispute. For now, these votes could define Uruguay’s political future, both in the legislative branch and in the election of the country’s future president.
