In a controversial move, National Party senator Graciela Bianchi admitted to having intentionally spread fake news involving Frente Amplio senator Óscar Andrade.
The post, made on Bianchi’s account on the social network X, featured an image that appeared to be a screenshot of an article from the newspaper El País. The image included a photograph of Andrade along with the statement: “The Communist Party wants the Maduro model for Uruguay.”
The president of the Broad Front, Fernando Pereiraexpressed his outrage at Bianchi’s action during a press conference following a session of the Political Roundtable.
Pereira asked: “What role does Bianchi have in this campaign? “Lie to people, deceive, induce people to have a wrong position about a leader of the Frente Amplio, in this case Senator Andrade?”
Pereira asks the PN to put limits on Bianchi and his fake news
Pereira described the incident as “doubly serious” due to Bianchi’s position as the government’s top senator, stressing that the National Party bears “partisan responsibility” for what happened. She also made a demand to the opposition party: “Is no one going to do anything in the PN against this number of arbitrary incidents?”
The leader of the Broad Front recalled other incidents that, according to him, should also raise concerns about practices within the National Party, including the case of Romina Celeste and the false accusation against Yamandú OrsiAlthough Pereira clarified that they do not hold the party directly responsible, he questioned its internal policy, suggesting that they should declare that “not everything goes in politics.”
Asked about the possibility of taking this matter to court, Pereira said that this should be resolved by the National Party itself. According to him, if a similar incident occurred in the Frente Amplio, the person responsible would have already been referred to the Political Conduct Tribunal.
Bianchi, for his part, defended his actions in statements to the radio program “Se arreglo el mundo” on FM Hit. He said the post was made “on purpose” and was not a mistake but a deliberate maneuver. Previously, similar actions by Bianchi have sparked critical responses, especially when he refused to apologize for a false comment related to Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
“Same thing again. I did it on purpose.. But I’ll clarify that right away. It was clearly false. The other time I did it on purpose, which I think was with Chavez [en realidad fue sobre el presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro] and Escobar, I did not apologize and they reproached me for it. Logic is the effect. I am not a publicist or anything like that. I do it at the moment. I am doing something else, I see it and I do it. Don’t think that I think it through, I am quite spontaneous. , Bianchi justified.
Bianchi justified her action by the need to question the potential veracity of such claims, raising rhetorical questions about Escobar’s possible funding of Petro and about the Frente Amplio’s intentions regarding the Maduro regime. In her defense, Bianchi claimed to be impulsive and does not plan her publications in advance.
In response to growing concerns about the spread of fake news, the Uruguayan Press Association (APU) expressed its “total rejection” of Bianchi’s actions. The APU’s Central Board of Directors condemned the senator’s actions and warned of the negative impact they may have on the integrity of the political system, especially during the electoral period. The APU recalled that in 2019, all political parties signed an Ethical Pact against Disinformation, committing to combat this type of practice.
In light of this situation, the APU announced that it will establish contact with the authorities of the National Party to remind them of the commitment made and to request firm measures against intentional disinformation, highlighting the importance of maintaining public confidence in the country’s democratic institutions and processes.
