Preelection: General elections in Uruguay
Political AnalisysOn October 27, Uruguay will go to the polls to elect its next president for the 2025-2030 term. In addition, the entire Congress will be renewed: 99 seats in the House of Representatives and 30 in the Senate. With Luis Lacalle Pou out of the race, as immediate re-election is not allowed, this election features 11 candidates. However, according to polls, only 3 have a real chance. If none of the candidates surpasses 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff on November 24. This is currently the most likely scenario. Whoever is elected to lead the Executive Branch will take office on March 1, 2025.
Yamandú Orsi, from the left-wing Frente Amplio (FA, in Spanish), is the favorite. The FA, which held the presidency from 2005 to 2020, is seeking to return to power after losing it by a narrow margin of 1.58% in the 2019 runoff against the current ruling coalition. The parties that make up the current government coalition, the Coalición Multicolor, are presenting separate candidates. The Partido Nacional (PN, in Spanish) of Lacalle Pou has Álvaro Delgado as its candidate, while the historic Partido Colorado (PC, in Spanish) is running with Andrés Ojeda. Both are competing for second place, though Delgado has the lead.
At the legislative level, the new composition of Congress will be decided in these elections. Just as the FA aims to win in the first round, it also seeks to secure a majority in both chambers that would allow it, if in government, to push its agenda without needing to negotiate with other political forces. Currently, polling averages suggest this is a possibility, though the margin is narrow, especially in the Senate.