Who is the next president of Uruguay Yamandú Orsi and how did he defeat the ruling right-wing party in the recent presidential election?

Yamandú Orsi will be the country’s next president after a close second round election, to the celebration of Latin American leftist leaders

A very tight runoff election is expected between progressive forces and right-wing voters

According to several politicians, journalists, and organizations, the law threatens to severely limit freedom of expression and promote the privatization of media

Environmentalists have argued that the water crisis facing the Montevideo metropolitan area is not only a consequence of the drought caused by climate change, but also of the excessive use of water by agro-industrial activities

In recent months, the sale of bottled water has tripled and its price has increased five times in the capital and surrounding areas. Residents have been forced to spend, on average, 300 pesos or USD 8 every day on bottled water

The reform raises the retirement age, eliminates early retirement benefits, and reduces pensions for widows and people with disabilities. This is the third big strike in six months

The union leaders have urged the national government to call for a national dialogue to address the concerns raised by the majority of the Uruguayan working class

The pension reform presented by the Lacalle Pou administration raises the retirement age and attacks early retirement benefits, among other modifications

The mobilizations were held in rejection of the article 304 of the new accountability and budget bill, which eliminated the subsidy for families facing issues with repayment of their housing loans

Thousands of Uruguayans took part in a partial national strike called for by the PIT-CNT and mobilized against the right-wing national government, its austerity policies, rising hunger, high cost of living, privatization of public companies, among other issues

The LUC was widely rejected by the country’s opposition parties, trade unions, social organizations and popular movements, which deemed it as a package of anti-worker, pro-corporate, neoliberal and regressive reform