With nearly all the votes counted, electoral officials reported that Mr Orsi won 49.8 per cent of the vote, ahead of Mr Delgado’s 45.9 per cent. The rest cast blank votes or abstained in defiance of Uruguay’s enforced compulsory voting. Turnout in the nation with 2.7 million eligible voters reached almost 90 per cent.

The defeat of the incumbent far right government is a big news for the liberals and the Left in Latin America since Uruguay has been under the far right rule in the last five years despite a strong Left movement. The Uruguayan victory of the Left opposition is a continuation of the pink wave in the Latin American region in the last three years. During this period, Left presidents took over power in Honduras and Columbia which witnessed the far right rule for long.. In recent years, the Right was successful in toppling a left leaning president in Argentina and also replacing the popular left president in Ecuador.

President elect Orsi, soon after the election results were out, struck a conciliatory note towards the defeated far right opposition by mentioning that he would take care of the interests of 3.4 million people as a whole and he would take all with him in building a prosperous Uruguay. Mr. Orsi takes office on March 1, 2025.

Álvaro Delgado, the presidential candidate for the center-right ruling coalition, conceded defeat with grace and offered his cooperation to the new president. His other party leaders were upset at the defeat as many of the ruling elite are facing charges of corruption which is a common feature of the governments in the ruling Latin American parties.

57 year old President elect Yamandu Orsi is from the working class. He is a history teacher and two time Mayor. He now leads the Broad Front coalition. A political heir to former President José "Pepe" Mujica, an ex-Marxist guerilla who became a global icon for transforming Uruguay into one of the most liberal and environmentally sustainable nations in the region, Orsi rode to power on promises of safe change and nostalgia for his left-wing party's redistributive social policies

However, political analysts say that President elect Orsi will be pragmatic in implementing his new programmes so that fresh investments come to the country to create additional jobs. Orsi is a moderate Left believing in the policy of gradual change. He favours driving down the childhood poverty rate, now at a staggering 25%, and containing an upsurge in organized crime that has shaken the nation long considered among Latin America's safest.

Orsi is also likely to work for a trade agreement with China. Orsi is expected to maintain its relations with the USA and the US companies while taking more care of the national interests.

From 2005-2020, the Broad Front coalition presided over a period of robust economic growth and pioneering social reforms that won widespread international acclaim, including the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and sale of marijuana. The process was halted during the far right rule between 2019-2024. Now president elect Orsi is expected to give another big push to the social justice part of the earlier Front programme.

Orsi proposes tax incentives to lure investment and revitalize the critical agricultural sector. He supports security reforms that would lower the retirement age but fall short of a radical overhaul sought by Uruguay's trade union. Uruguay’s economy is presently under control with inflation easing and the growth rate touching three per cent this year. President elect Orsi will have enough flexibility in implementing his programme for big boost to the economy. The Uruguayan people are looking to the coming President with high expectations. (IPA Service)