Uruguay’s leftist opposition candidate Yamandú Orsi becomes country's new president
Uruguay’s leftist opposition candidate, Yamandú Orsi, became the country's new president in a tight runoff election that ousted the conservative governing coalition
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguay's leftist opposition candidate, Yamandú Orsi, became the country's new president in a tight runoff Sunday, ousting the conservative governing coalition and making the South American nation the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in a year of landmark elections worldwide.
Even as the vote count continued, Álvaro Delgado, the presidential candidate for the center-right ruling coalition, conceded defeat to his challenger while surrounded by sullen-looking family members and colleagues.
“The country of liberty, equality and fraternity has triumphed once again,” Orsi said to sprawling crowds of supporters that waved flags and shouted their support. “I will be the president who calls for national dialogue again and again, who builds a more integrated society and country.”
As initial exit polls began showing Orsi, 57, a working-class former history teacher and two-time mayor from Uruguay’s Broad Front coalition, holding a lead over Delgado, cheers rang out across Montevideo’s beaches.
