MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay's National Party replaces Board Chairperson

“The important thing is how we manage it and how we act in the face of mistakes,” Rubio underlined

Uruguay's National Party, also known as The Whites, accepted the resignation of Pablo Iturralde as Board Chairman and appointed Macarena Rubio instead as the ashes of the scandal involving President Luis Lacalle Pou's force are still smoldering in Montevideo.

Iturralde was forced to step down after “the disclosure of a private and personal conversation“ he had with former Senator Gustavo Penadés, who has been under preventive detention at the Florida prison for more than six months after being charged with eleven crimes of retribution to the sexual exploitation of minors, four crimes of sexual abuse aggravated by a crime of rape, corruption of minors, and violent indecent assault.

In these talks, Iturralde mentioned his friendship with Prosecutor Alicia Ghione, who was assigned to the Penadés case. The National Party leader denied any wrongdoing in this regard although he did admit to having talked with his former college classmate Ghione about it.

The incident is believed to have somehow dented former Presidential Secretary Álvaro Delgado's presidential bid on behalf of the ruling Multicolor coalition.

In this scenario, the National Party's Political Affairs Committee is to summon Iturralde to account for the events that led to his resignation.

In her acceptance speech, Rubio pledged to give ”her best to live up to the responsibility and honor“ entrusted to her. She also highlighted the challenges ahead at the party elections, which may determine Uruguay's future, and insisted that the National Party remained ”the best tool“ for the country. Rubio also described herself as a lawyer with a significant background in public administration.

Opposition Frente Amplio Chairman Fernando Pereira urged the National Party to apologize to the country for this episode, which was not new during Lacalle Pou's presidency. Pereira also underlined the stain inflicted on Ghione's reputation.

Rubio argued that Iturralde's actions were ”unfortunate“ but insisted that they did not affect ”the institutionality of the PN.“

”We all know that it has been a personal and private opinion of the former chairman,“ Rubio argued. But it was ”personal and private,“ she went on. ”Neither governments nor the institutions that are formed by people are unaware that some of us may make mistakes,“ she elaborated. ”The important thing is how we manage it and how we act in the face of mistakes.”