The new president of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, of the Broad Front (FA), takes office in two weeks. Orsi, who obtained 51.13% of the valid votes, defeated Álvaro Delgado of the right-wing National Party (PN), who received 47.94% in the second round. Thus, the left-leaning Broad Front (FA), which had governed for three consecutive terms until 2020, won the Executive again after the administration of right-wing Luis Lacalle Pou (PN, 2020-2025).
A divided legislature and challenges ahead
Despite its victory, the Broad Front, a coalition of several center and left-wing political parties and movements, did not secure legislative power. The new Uruguayan legislative branch was officially formed on February 15.
In Uruguay, there are two legislative chambers: the Chamber of Senators and the Chamber of Deputies. The FA has a majority in the Senate, but despite being the most representative party with 48 seats, it still needs two votes to have a majority in the Chamber of Deputies. The PN obtained 29 deputies, while the Colorado Party, another right-wing party, obtained 17 deputies.
Reaching agreements with the other two parties may be almost impossible. Therefore, the FA will need to dialogue with the remaining minority forces.
The struggle for legislative alliances
The Independent Party (PI) obtained only one seat. The PI is a political experiment that seeks to position itself as a third way between the FA and the PN, although in practice it supported the right-wing government of Lacalle Pou, who assigned its leader, Pablo Mieres, as Secretary of Labor and Social Security.
Another party that achieved representation (two deputies) was the Open Council (CA), which many have designated as populist and conservative. CA was part of the coalition that supported Lacalle Pou, although it was not a solid partner. Sometimes, it even voted together with the FA in the Legislative, which was a headache for the PN.
Finally, the other political force that has two seats in parliament is Sovereign Identity (IS), another surprise from the last elections. Led by lawyer Gustavo Salle, IS is an “anti-system” party of difficult definition, since while declaring itself a defender of sovereignty, democracy, and republicanism, it supports the theory of a New World Order and the anti-vaccine discourse. IS did not support either of the two presidential candidates who made it to the second round, which caused much uncertainty as to how it would act in the next legislature.
How will the Parliament legislate?
This raises a series of questions about the future attitude of the Broad Front and the opposition. Certain agreements will have to be reached between political forces, which suggests that a certain attitude of conciliation between the Executive and the Legislature will be necessary. In fact, this is the first time that either the Broad Front or the coalition of right-wing parties did not reach a parliamentary majority.
Nicolás Centurión, Uruguayan international analyst and journalist, told Peoples Dispatch that the conciliatory attitude in the party system in general, and in the Broad Front in particular, has existed for a long time. For example, the FA has given up on some classic left-wing demands, such as the defense of social security.
According to Centurión, the FA will necessarily have to negotiate with other political forces to move its initiatives forward, although this will be complicated. It could dialogue with Sovereign Identity on some aspects, for example. However, IS’s conservative positions could complicate any kind of agreement. Likewise, Centurión emphasized that some dialogue with the more moderate wing of the Colorado Party could be considered, although the revitalization of the positions of the old politics in that party complicates those prospects. Finally, although the left-wing of the FA, the one closest to former President José Mujica, once managed to reach certain minimum agreements with the Open Council, today that doesn’t seem like a possibility. “[The FA] will not have much room for maneuver,” says Centurión.
The road ahead for Orsi
Another key question is which issues will be dealt with as a priority in the next legislature. Centurión believes that several security-related bills will get a lot of attention from various political parties. It remains to be seen whether the younger generation of the FA will renew parliamentary debates and include other issues such as feminism, child poverty, renewable energies, etc., says Centurión.
Finally, Centurión warns that the opposition is likely to take on a confrontational role concerning Orsi’s government: “[the opposition] is not going to let any [government initiative] pass. We have already seen this during the FA governments when it was in power, with the endless interpellations to the frenteamplista secretaries…which usually did not reach any conclusion.”
For now, the question is how Orsi will articulate his political attitude and advance the laws he is interested in. Maneuvering strategically before this Parliament will be essential. In addition, the FA is a group of different political forces, so he will also need to manage a government that balances the interests of a broad spectrum of allies as well as opponents.
