MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Orsi not moving to Presidential residency post inauguration

Orsi chose not to relocate so that his children could attend high school in their hometown, 38 kilometers from Montevideo

Uruguay's President-elect Yamandú Orsi announced that he will not be occupying the Suárez y Reyes Residence after taking office on March 1 but would rather stay at his current domicile in Salinas. “With my family, we already solved some things, like staying there in Salinas. My children are moving on to another stage,” he added regarding their attending high school.

Hence, the future head of State admitted that he was aware of the fact that he would be needing to travel to Montevideo on a daily basis and even staying the night at the country's capital on some occasions. Orsi also explained that his family would have to adapt to the new order of things. But he insisted he could never do without “your people, your family, and your intimate life, you have to take care of that.”

Regarding his wife's role as First Lady, Orsi insisted he hoped that she would continue “doing what she has always done,” which excludes any “political activity,” although he reckoned that at some point her help would be needed, albeit from “a different profile than mine.”

The Broad Front leader also pointed out that the whole country “needs answers” and “solutions” to their problems, for which it is necessary “to be very clear, sincere and move forward with very open ears.”

Back in November last year, Orsi already hinted he intended to stay in Salinas, but it was a family decision that had not yet been made. “Paradise is paradise,” he said at the time about the River Plate beach resort founded in 1937 some 38 kilometers east of Montevideo. Salinas, in the department (province) of Canelones where Orsi has served as mayor (governor), was granted city status in 1982 and has a population of 11,700 according to 2023 data after Montevideo residents began relocating in the early 1970s.