Lacalle Pou closes with good approval, although it will be a parenthesis between Frente Amplio governments

Luis Lacalle Pou is advancing towards the end of his five-year term in office in Uruguay with a high approval rating. This support for his management, however, he has not been able to transfer it to the ruling candidate in the November elections, and the opposition Yamundú Orsi, of the Frente Amplio, will assume the presidency on March 1, 2025. The government of Lacalle Pou, of the National Party and at the head of a coalition of right and center-right, succeeded fifteen years of management of the Frente Amplio and will now hand over the baton again to that leftist movement. The quiet alternation underlines the remarkable institutionalism of the country, also evidenced by the rather general applause for the current president's management .

The government headed by Lacalle Pou marked the end of 15 years of Frente Amplio government in Uruguay. In a troubled economic and security context, the president developed liberalizing projects, opening the country more to the world and subtly abandoning his traditional position of mediator. Even facing a pandemic and several political crises, Lacalle Pou ended his term in office with high levels of evaluation, as he was able to adopt policies that meant progress for the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.

Domestic policy

topic SECURITY-Securitywas a major focus of President Lacalle Pou's campaign, but during his term in office there was little progress: crimes of petty theft, robbery, and cattle rustling declined, but there was weakness in homicide crimes. Some critics say that the government failed to address the root causes of crime, and identify problems in the policies adopted. The focus was placed on predatory crime, despite the continuous drop in the levels of complaints, and money laundering was facilitated, which increased drug trafficking, making Uruguay an attractive place for these activities, and punitive policies were used instead of attacking organized crime head on, resulting in situations of incarceration for bringing marijuana into prison while major drug traffickers serve sentences without imprisonment. The lack of initiative to provide resources to the security forces is also criticized. As a last reform, an attempt was made to promote through a plebiscite a constitutional reform that would enable night raids to reduce crime, but the necessary majorities were not reached due to the opposing vote promoted by civil service examination.

Economics/FISCAL POLICY-TheNational Party (PN) proposed to promote progress through the private sector and agro-industrial exports, and to diversify free trade agreements, in order to improve productivity levels, correct the fiscal deficit and reduce expenditures. A liberal stance was taken, seeking an austere and efficient government that would promote functional reorganization, debureaucratization and accountability. In addition, certain areas were identified as requiring specific treatment, such as MSMEs and road, rail and port infrastructure. The government achieved the approval by referendum of an omnibus law, known as the Law of Urgent Consideration, which allowed it to promote measures to liberalize the Economics, reform the state and strengthen the punitive orientation in security. After almost 5 years of government, macroeconomic figures show stability and improvement in GDP growth.

SOCIAL PROTECTION-Stabilitywas achieved and foreign investment was attracted, through the prioritization of a pro-market approach , but this also implied leaving aside the role of the State in the market and social protection, issues that seemed consolidated in the country after 15 years of socialist government. The employment and salaries recovered in the last period of government, after being affected at the beginning, while the poverty level closed at higher figures than it was at the time of Lacalle Pou's arrival; some critics claim that income increases only benefited the highest sectors of society.

management OF THE PANDEMIC-Consideringthat the government debuted with the management of Covid-19, it is surprising that it has come out stronger in terms of public opinion. The President excelled in adopting a 'freedom manager' and non-confinement stance. He achieved an extensive voluntary adherence of the citizenry to the light restrictions of movement and development of activities, and promoted social programs to mitigate the economic impact on the most vulnerable sectors. It is remarkable that, despite having started with a pandemic, the government has achieved stability, openness and growth.

International Policy

MERCOSUR-Withrespect to Mercosur, the president advocated the need to modernize that regional bloc. The government recognized that strengthening Mercosur was beneficial to the country, but at the same time it fostered on its own international ties that caused discord among its partners. This was reflected in Uruguay's push for promote a Mercosur FTA with China (opposed by President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina), and in the face of inactivity, Uruguay began its own negotiations, as China is the destination of 37% of its exports.

LATIN AMERICA-Certainspecific moments broke with the neutrality and customs of the country with respect to its relations with the countries of the region. Regarding Maduro's Venezuela, the neutral mediating posture was abandoned, through the Montevideo Mechanism, approaching the Lima group , although without joining it. Regarding Ecuador, support was expressed for President Noboa's decision to order the entry of police forces into the Mexican embassy to capture former Vice President Jorge Glas. On the other hand, there was distancing towards leftist presidents: Lacalle Pou did not attend the inauguration of Gustavo Petro in Colombia, nor did any high official attend that of Bernardo Arevalo in Guatemala. His critics present all these positions as a disregard for Uruguay's traditional foreign policy, which had a trajectory marked by the active defense of democracy and human rights, seeking a certain mediating role.

GREAT POWERS-In spiteof the above, Lacalle Pou's government has shown itself faithful to national interests, trying not to align itself ideologically or politically with anyone. It began negotiations with China and also intended to do so with the United States. Measures were established to promote foreign investments and generate employment (such as new developments for the configuration of the tax residency program and the establishment of a new free trade zone), economic perspectives that encouraged the migratoryflow fromArgentina.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS-There wereagreements with international organizations, such as those established with the Inter-American Bank development (IDB) for the implementation of laboratory of the Food and Human Health Program. The IDB recognized Uruguay as a regional reference in innovation and digital transformation, considering it as a strategic partner in the creation of the National Agency of research and Innovation.

Public opinion

There was no lack of criticism during these years of presidency; former president Mujica expressed the opinion that there was a deficit of social policies and an excess of economic populism. In addition, the scandals of the escape of drug trafficker Marset and the Artesiano case, head of the president's custody, damaged Lacalle Pou's image. However, the end of the mandate concludes with high levels of popularity, which are reflected with 50% of Uruguayans approving his performance and 19% of intermediate opinions, according to a survey by Equipos Consultores. Lacalle Pou is not only the third president to achieve this positive balance, but it is also surprising that he has achieved it having faced the Covid-19 and 65 days of water emergency. In addition, it has merit that he has achieved it being a coalition government, where no party had its own parliamentary majority.