On Wednesday night, former Labor Minister Pablo Mieres was assaulted in front of his home in the Malvín neighborhood, Montevideo. The situation occurred at the end of a campaign closing event for the Republican Coalition in Batlle Park, when the politician returned to his residence. Two criminals violently approached him while he was at the door of his house.
The assault occurred quickly and surprisingly. The criminals, armed with a knife, they threatened Mieres and demanded that he hand over his valuables.. Finally, they managed to get hold of his cell phone before fleeing. After the incident, the Police were notified and arrived at the scene to carry out the relevant procedures and prepare a report of what happened.
Information about the assault was shared with the press by sources close to Mieres, who is the leader of the Independent Party and member of the right-wing coalition that supports the National Party candidate, Álvaro Delgado. This is not the first time that Mieres has spoken out about security problems in the country. In July, when he still held the position of minister, he referred to crime statistics in Uruguay, stating: “I think it is clear that there are notable improvements.”
Security and political issue
During his participation in the presidential campaign, the former minister valued the current government’s strategies in terms of security. He reiterated his hope that the policies implemented will produce significant changes in crime management.
Mieres expressed confidence that the government can provide a legacy of crime reduction at the end of his term.