In the presidential runoff election held on Sunday November 24, the candidate of the opposition Frente Amplio Mr. Yamandú Orsi was elected president for the period 2025-2030. The turnout was 89.4%, similar to the previous election.
According to official results, with 100% of the precincts counted (without counting the observed votes), the Orsi-Cosse formula obtained 49.8% of the votes, ahead of Delgado-Ripoll, the candidates of the governing coalition (45.9%). The observed votes not yet counted represent 1.5% of the total votes cast.
The Frente Amplio will begin its term on March 1 without a congressional majority. In the three governments in which it held power between 2005 and 2020, it (almost) always had enough votes in both chambers to approve almost all bills, except for a small one-year period between 2016 and 2017. The October 27 result gave it a majority in the Senate but not in the Chamber of Deputies. In the Senate, the Frente Amplio will have 16 seats out of a total of 30 seats, followed by the Nacional party with 9 and the Colorado Party with 5; thus, the coalition will have 14 seats. In the Lower Chamber, the Frente Amplio will have 48 seats, followed by the Nacional party with 29 and the Colorado Party with 17. Thus, the coalition will have 49 seats including other parties, out of a total of 99 seats.
A market-friendly economist to head the economic team. Gabriel Oddone is likely to lead the economy ministry. Economist from the University of Montevideo, he holds a Phd in economic history from the University of Barcelona. Oddone headed the economic team at the CPA consultancy, a prestigious economic firm based in Uruguay. He has also been a consultant for the IDB, the World Bank and other international organizations, as well as a teacher at the Universidad de la República at the Universidad ORT of Uruguay.
The next government will begin its five-year term on 1 March 2025. However, the transition period has already started and decisions from now on will likely be agreed between both parties. All eyes will be on the administration's programs and fiscal implications.