MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan version of La Libertad Avanza crisis deepens

Quintana has a history of shifting from one rightwing party to another

Argentina's ruling party La Libertad Avanza (LLA) of President Javier Milei has remained silent following recent scandals involving its Uruguayan namesake after initial endorsements involving key figures such as former Security Minister and current Senator Patricia Bullrich.

The Libertarian brand across the pond is going through a crisis involving high-level resignations, accusations of harassment, and financial opacity. Juan Pablo Baeza resigned as party Chairman in mid-November, citing a “fractioned” directorate plagued by constant infighting. His departure revealed a deep rift between the faction led by Nicolás Quintana and another representing the Libertarian Party of Uruguay (PLU).

The most damaging blow to the party’s reputation involves leaked WhatsApp audio recordings attributed to Quintana, in which he allegedly threatens political rivals with “family surveillance” and verbal abuse, stating he could “access their entire lives” and “investigate their families” to undermine them.

In this scenario, party members signed a ten-point letter accusing the leaders of “abuse of power,” “conspiracy,” and using official social media accounts to block and silence internal dissent.

Quintana dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous,” while other leaders attributed the scandal to young members who “lost control of the party” and want to cause damage.

Additionally, the party’s funding has become a central point of conflict. Baeza originally managed the party funds through a personal account to ensure transparency, but following his resignation, control of the funds was reportedly transferred to an associate of Quintana without a formal board discussion. When the PLU requested a detailed financial report on December 7, it was flatly rejected by the current leadership.

Later this month, the PLU —deemed to be the ideological backbone of the coalition— announced its total withdrawal from La Libertad Avanza Uruguay, citing a number of irregularities, such as the creation of an unauthorized “National Political Command” used to persecute dissidents.

The PLU formally repudiated the threats against privacy and family, stating that “digging into the private lives of individuals” was incompatible with their values.

Despite the official exit of the PLU and the documented resignations, LLAuy’s official social media channels continue to label the reports as “fake news” and “party defamation.” The remaining leadership maintains that the project is still intact, though analysts suggest the brand is severely tarnished ahead of the next electoral cycle.

Quintana, the party's current strongman of LLAuy, has a political career shifting from the traditional National Party (Blancos), specifically in the “Herrerismo” sector. He later moved to Cabildo Abierto, the right-wing party led by former Army Chief of Staff General Guido Manini Ríos, where he was considered a “soldier” of the movement. In early 2025, Quintana broke away from Cabildo Abierto, declaring the party “dead” and accusing its leaders of “political fraud” for supporting government debt and the “Agenda 2030.” He resurfaced as a “political influencer” and founder of LLAuy, using Milei-style rhetoric like taming the “political caste.”