MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay: Pepe Mujica says only Yamandú Orsi can beat the Whites

Mujica admitted that a ticket bringing together Orsi and Cosse would be a wonderful thing

Former Uruguayan President José Pepe Mujica said Friday that he would endorse the presidential bid of Canelones Governor Yamandú Orsi on behalf of the leftwing Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA) because, although Montevideo Mayor Carolina Cosse is “very good,” she cannot ”beat the Whites (the other name under which the National Party of President Luis Lacalle Pou is known.

Mujica explained that elections are decided by those voters who swing from one party to another election after election and the FA needed to lure them. It is not the frenteamplistas who do not sympathize with Cosse, but “the 30 or 40 who go there or come here.” Most of them, however, do not support Cosse because they are from the interior and not from the country's capital, which gives Orsi the upper hand. “The elections are not decided by the frenteamplistas”, but by the “undecided” who are “the majority of the interior,” Mujica stressed.

“I support Orsi, and why do I support him? Because I have known him for years. And besides, he is the only one who can beat the whites,” Mujica told reporters while insisting that lack of support from voters in the interior led to the FA's defeat in 2019.

In the end, Mujica admitted that a ticket bringing together Orsi and Cosse would be a wonderful thing.

Mujica's words stirred the waters within the leftwing alliance. Communist Senator Oscar Andrade argued that discussing which of the four FA's pre-candidates was better was not the issue and that “the formula is fraternity and unity to fight for the causes.”

FA Congresswoman Micaela Melgar said she would vote for Cosse because “together we will ensure a depth in the implementation of the program of the Front that will define the future and the necessary joy for this homeland.”

Florencia Astori -daughter of former Vice President Danilo Astori- argued that Mujica's remarks “do not contribute to the unity of our political force and show how much it is still hard for us to accept a woman president.”