Uruguay Goes to the Polls

In 2019, Uruguayans elected conservative Luis Lacalle Pou as president following 15 years of rule by the center-left Frente Amplio coalition. Five years later, Lacalle Pou remains popular. Ineligible to run for immediate reelection on October 27, he is instead running for Senate and a close ally and former member of his cabinet, Álvaro Delgado, is representing the National Party. A centrist former mayor of Canelones, Yamandú Orsi, won the Frente Amplio primary in June.

Incumbent parties have had it rough in Latin America in recent years, but the ruling National Party has several advantages, including growing agricultural production following a prolonged drought. The Frente Amplio will emphasize public concerns about crime and a scandal involving Uruguayan passports issued to criminals. Either candidate would likely maintain strong ties to the United States, but the election could reshape Uruguay’s approach to foreign policy challenges such as the collapse of democracy in Venezuela.