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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 9th 2025 - 23:08 UTC

Uruguay

  • Monday, March 3rd 2025 - 10:45 UTC

    Orsi and Steinmeier underscore Mercosur-EU deal

    “For us in Germany, Uruguay is a particularly reliable partner,” Steinmeir underlined

    Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi held a one-on-one talk with his German colleague Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at the Estévez Palace in Montevideo. Both leaders agreed on the importance of ratifying the trade agreement between the South American Common Market (Mercosur) and the European Union (EU).

  • Saturday, March 1st 2025 - 22:46 UTC

    A new era in Uruguay: Yamandú Orsi takes the Presidential sash

    “This country is one. We build it together, with every region playing a role in its development,” Orsi told a crowd in Montevideo's main square. Photo: EFE/Raúl Martínez

    Former mayor of Canelones and history professor Yamandú Orsi took the stage at Plaza Independencia, the heart of Uruguay’s democratic transitions. A warm embrace with outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou marked the handover, a moment of continuity in a country that takes pride in its institutional stability. “I’m here if you need me,” Lacalle Pou told Orsi, offering a rare glimpse of camaraderie in the often-divisive world of politics.

  • Saturday, March 1st 2025 - 10:59 UTC

    Yamandú Orsi takes office as Uruguay’s new left-wing President

    Orsi becomes the third president from the left-wing Frente Amplio coalition, following Tabaré Vázquez and José “Pepe” Mujica

    Uruguay will swear in Yamandú Orsi as its new president this Saturday, marking 40 years since the country’s return to democracy. Orsi, a former mayor of Canelones, will replace Luis Lacalle Pou in a ceremony that begins at 14:00 local time (17:00 GMT). His term will run until March 2030.

  • Saturday, March 1st 2025 - 10:55 UTC

    A melancholic Lacalle Pou recalls his father's last day in office

    “I was 20 years old” when Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera's government reached the same point, he pointed out

    On his last day in office after five years, Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou expressed gratitude to those who supported his administration and recalled a similar day 30 years ago when his father's (Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera) term came to an end. President-elect Yamandú Orsi is to be sworn in Saturday in an indoor ceremony at the SODRE Auditorium as the ceremony was shifted to an indoor venue given the rain forecast.

  • Friday, February 28th 2025 - 10:50 UTC

    The Economist praises Uruguay's democratic standards

    Although topping the region, Uruguay fell one notch from last year's rankings

    According to The Economist's global Democracy Index published Thursday, Uruguay is the only country in the region with a full democracy, ranking 15th globally with a score of 8.67 out of 10.

  • Thursday, February 27th 2025 - 10:32 UTC

    Orsi's inauguration rescheduled to indoor venue amid rain forecast

    Weather permitting, Orsi will greet the citizenry at Montevideo's Independence Square after being sworn in. Photo: Sebastián Astorga

    Uruguayan authorities announced Wednesday that Saturday's presidential inauguration of Yamandó Orsi will be held at the Official Service for Broadcasting, Performances, and Shows (Servicio Oficial de Difusión, Representaciones y Espectáculos - SODRE) Auditorium in Montevideo, thus choosing an indoor venue given the forecast of rain.

  • Tuesday, February 25th 2025 - 19:03 UTC

    Uruguay's INE reports unemployment on the rise

    Unemployment grew year-on-year despite the creation of 27,000 new jobs, the INE report found

    Uruguay's National Institute of Statistics (INE) released a report Tuesday showing that last month's unemployment rose from 7.4% to 8.1% from the previous month. However, this figure represented an interannual improvement against last year's 8.6%. Joblessness was not as harsh in Montevideo (7.1%) but it was indeed noticeable elsewhere in the South American country (8.7%). In addition, 21.3% of workers were detected not to be registered with social security authorities, which was tantamount to an increase in informality.

  • Tuesday, February 25th 2025 - 10:29 UTC

    Uruguayan gov't under scrutiny over company chosen to print passports

    Garsų Pasaulis has been declared by Lithuanian authorities as “unreliable” and banned from future government contracts

    Less than a week before its end, the Uruguayan Government of President Luis Lacalle Pou took heavy flak for awarding the printing of passports to a Lithuanian company Garsu Pasaulis, given its association with Belarusian businessman Viktor Shevtsov, who has been sanctioned by the European Union. The measure has raised concerns about the security and integrity of the country's identity system.

  • Monday, February 24th 2025 - 10:08 UTC

    FAU Officer highlights the importance of Uruguay having a space agency

    Uruguay intends to have a rocket launching facility to become a regional hub in the field, García explained

    Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) Captain Mariana García underscored in a TV interview this weekend the importance of the South American country having a Space Agency while developing a national policy in this regard.

  • Saturday, February 22nd 2025 - 10:49 UTC

    New Uruguayan meat packing plant joins list of companies hit by uncertainty

    Basso's death unleashed a series of obscure deeds that keep sinking Uruguayan meat packing into uncertainty

    A new crisis in a meat packing plant in Uruguay left some 160 workers fearing for their livelihoods after the Paso de los Toros company halted operations, thus adding to the growing list of plants in crisis, which already included Scheneck, Casa Blanca, Lorsinal, and Rondatel, all of them in connection with the fraud scandal involving the financial company Conexión Ganadera, whose director, Gustavo Basso, died in a traffic accident amidst investor claims.