Uruguay: Luis Lacalle Pou Obtains a Majority of Votes and will be the President

November  28, 2019

Luis Lacalle Pou, presidential candidate of the right-wing National Party in Uruguay, accumulated 3,090 votes in the revision of last Sunday’s ballot, giving him an advantage over the Frente Amplio candidate Daniel Martínez.

Thus, with the addition of votes from the 13 departments that have already completed their second review, he became president-elect that he will assume next March 1; he will succeed the current president Tabaré Vázquez.

Martinez acknowledged his defeat and greeted the president-elect from his Twitter account. “We will continue to defend democracy with more force than ever,” said the candidate of the Frente Amplio, a political coalition that has governed Uruguay for 15 years.

Despite having reached the conclusion of the election, the Electoral Court plans to announce the winning ticket on Saturday, according to Court Minister Wilfredo Penco.

A deputy since 2000 and a senator since 2015, Lacalle Pou became President after running for the second time. In 2014, he participated in the elections but fell to Tabaré Vázquez (56.62% against 43.38%).

He is the third member of the family to become head of state. His father, Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera, was president of the Republic between 1990 and 1995 and his great-grandfather, Luis Alberto de Herrera, presided over the National Administration Council between 1925 and 1927.

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano, translation North America bureau