Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou announced Friday that Armando Castaingdebat would take over the Defense Ministry from Javier García on March 4, when the latter is scheduled to resign in a move to return to his Parliamentarian duties with this year's elections in sight. Social Development Minister Martín Lema is also to resign that day but a replacement is yet to be chosen.
Uruguay's new Senators and Deputies which emerged from the general election results of last October were sworn in on Saturday during a ceremony held at the Legislative Palace. The ceremony not only confirmed 99 members of the Lower House and 30 Senators but also marked the opening of ordinary sessions of the XLIX legislative period.