MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Orsi used a campaign-donated car to help pay for his Hyundai, Búsqueda reports

Presidency says the Renault Stepway was a “personal donation” from CarOne to Orsi, raffled for the Frente Amplio; with no winner, the car stayed with him.

Uruguay's president, Yamandú Orsi, used a vehicle that had been donated to his 2024 election campaign as part of the payment for the Hyundai he bought days before taking office, according to the weekly Búsqueda, which reconstructed the deal from various sources. The car, a Renault Stepway, had been provided by the dealership CarOne during the Frente Amplio's presidential campaign.

Orsi purchased a Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid in February 2025 for 54,000 dollars, according to the invoice issued on the 21st of that month, eight days before the inauguration. The model's market price is around 79,000 dollars —the same figure the president had listed in his sworn declaration— meaning the transaction involved a discount of close to 25,000 dollars. The gap was detected by the radio program Así nos va, hosted by Patricia Madrid, based on the declaration filed with the Transparency and Public Ethics Board (Jutep).

The presidency initially said Orsi had paid with a single car —a 2020 Hyundai he owned— and a dollar transfer, without specifying how much the used vehicle covered and how much was cash. Búsqueda, however, reconstructed that the president handed over two vehicles: the 2020 Hyundai and the Renault Stepway. Presidency sources later confirmed that account and specified that, in addition to the two cars, Orsi made a transfer of about 15,000 dollars.

According to the campaign accounting the Frente Amplio submitted to the Electoral Court, CarOne delivered a brand-new vehicle on October 1, 2024, valued at about 20,500 dollars. The presidency said the Stepway was a “personal donation” from the dealership to Orsi, that the then-candidate organized a raffle with the car as the prize and donated the proceeds to the Frente Amplio, and that, with no winner, the vehicle remained in his hands. It said everything had been declared to the Electoral Court and pledged to send the supporting documentation.

Despite repeated inquiries, the presidency has not clearly explained the difference between the vehicle's market price and the amount paid. Deputy secretary Jorge Díaz described the reduction as a “courtesy” from the dealership Oliva Automotores and noted that Orsi was not a public official at the time of the transaction.

The president addressed the matter publicly over the weekend, saying that when he sees a discount he “dives in headfirst.” On Monday, in a video released by the presidency, he reiterated that it was a discount: he explained that the dealership had offered to swap his 2020 Hyundai for a 2024 version of the same model “at a reasonable price,” and that he accepted. “The value of the transaction is recorded in the invoice I presented in due course,” he said, denying that the swap was linked to the use of a Hyundai electric car on inauguration day. “If any oversight body finds that I made a mistake, I will take responsibility,” he added, offering to pay the difference if warranted.

Jutep will review the case this week, following two anonymous complaints; Uruguayan law bars public officials from receiving gifts. From the opposition, the National and Colorado parties demanded explanations and called the situation serious.