“The Economist” published an article on Thursday stating that Uruguay's reputation as a success story in the region is diminishing. Initially, the British media outlet referred to Uruguay as a “model country” and highlighted its achievements, such as obtaining 95% of its electricity from renewable sources, legalizing same-sex marriage, and allowing residents to buy cannabis from pharmacies. Uruguay was also recognized as the most peaceful and least corrupt country in South America.
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou was shown to have a 43% approval three years into his term, according to a survey by pollsters Usina de Percepción Ciudadana published Tuesday in Montevideo.
Former Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou's chief bodyguard Alejandro Astesiano has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after a plea deal with the prosecution who investigated him for corruption in a case involving the issuance of passports to Russian nationals.
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou's popularity sank deeply in the last few weeks after a series of scandals became public, particularly those involving his chief security officer Alejandro Astesiano and former Environment Minister Adrián Peña's lack of a college degree despite which he used the prefix “Lic.” indicating otherwise.
The removal of the police leadership by order of the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, generated the biggest crisis in this force so far in this government. The head of state replaced the National Police Director, Diego Fernández, and the Executive Subdirector of Police, Jorge Berriel, it was reported late Tuesday.
The Financial Times described the event that is currently being investigated by the Uruguayan Justice related to the former presidential custodian Alejandro Astesiano and the implications that have arisen around the entourage of President Luis Lacalle Pou.
The approval ratings of Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou fell ten percentage points in two months, hitting an all-time low of 39% since he took office, according to a report from pollsters Equipos Consultores released Thursday.
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou and his wife, Lorena Ponce de León, separated earlier this year. Two months later, on July 3rd, the then head of security for the president and his family –currently in prison accused of falsifying passports among other crimes–, Alejandro Astesiano, asked the deputy executive director of the National Police, Jorge Berriel, to inquire in “confidential mode” about a personal trip of the woman who still presents herself as the first lady of Uruguay on her social media.
The analysis of hundreds of WhatsApp chats recovered from the cell phone of Alejandro Astesiano, the former personal custodian of Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, continues to provide investigators with crucial material in an unprecedented court case in Uruguay's political history.
Alejandro Astesiano, the former custodian of President Luis Lacalle Pou, offered the use of El Guardián, the telephone tapping system of the Interior Ministry, which can only be accessed with judicial authorization. The prosecutor in charge of the case, Gabriela Fosatti, investigates in depth the use that Astesiano had of this tool, it was reported.