The fervent cry of the militancy was heard from the first floor of the Executive Tower, as well as the thunder of some fireworks. President Luis Lacalle Pou had already assured that the ratification of the fundamental law of the government could be “clearly established” when, with a couple of words loaded with symbolism, he caused the celebration to multiply: “Stage passed”.
The ruling party managed this Sunday to keep in force the 135 articles of the law of urgent consideration (LUC) and although he achieved it through a narrow difference, the president took advantage of the press conference he gave as leader of the multicolored coalition and father of the LUC to focus on the challenges that his administration will face from now on.
After a few weeks in which political activity worked at half speed due to the proximity of the electoral body, Lacalle Pou kicked the table and turned the page on the referendum, emphasizing that starting this Monday the government will concentrate on “urgent” issues in the which progress needs to be made. In this sense, the president spoke as “the president of all Uruguayans” and expressed that they will return to work “with the same optimism” and “the same desire.”
As if it were a replica of that transcendental instance that marked the government in March 2020 —when the first cases of coronavirus in the country were confirmed—, the President of the Republic gave another of his main press conferences, supported by his entire cabinet and also by the vice president Beatriz Argimón, the secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado, and the deputy secretary Rodrigo Ferrés.
There, Lacalle Pou ratified the course of the government with references to several axes that he himself and other leaders had already highlighted on other occasions. “There are vital issues”sentenced the President of the Republic this Sunday, before listing the educational transformation, the reform of social security and commercial opening as three of the fundamental points in which the ruling party will seek to make progress.
Public works and the announcement that this week there will be meetings to “take action” on the price issue were also among the topics. The president wanted to leave the referendum behind to such an extent that he even referred to 2023, the year in which he ratified that he hopes to be able to “loosen the belts” of Uruguayans in tax matters.
As a reflection of the electoral result, Lacalle Pou He said that the result was almost “a carbon copy” of the 2019 ballot, that in his opinion “there are not two Uruguays”, but only one country with “two different political positions” and that no one can assume the representation of all the village. On the coalition, the president said that he has “shown firmness in diversity.”
From nervousness to celebration
The weather was turning with the passing of the hours in the Executive Tower. The first handful of militants who arrived at the government house to receive the ministers, who arrived one by one to respond to the invitation made to them by Lacalle Pou a couple of weeks ago, made themselves felt with some shouts and trumpet blasts, but as Once the first numbers were known, anxiety began to be felt in the silence of those who received, from their cell phones, an even result.
“How are we doing?”, “we are there” and “we are going to wait”, was repeated among the public that with expectation and nervousness awaited the figures of the Electoral Court.
Eleven stories away, the cabinet followed the television broadcast – on five screens, each with one of the national channels – in the Council of Ministers room, while the President of the Republic entered and left the place together with Delgado and Ferrés .
When the scrutiny reached 80%, and the difference in favor of the ratification of the law was already beginning to consolidate, Lacalle Pou spoke to his ministers with the same cautious tone with which he spoke to the press last Wednesday, when he had said that an eventual victory for the light blue ballot was not “to celebrate”.
Leonardo Carreno
The festivities in the Executive Tower.
Before his ministers and undersecretaries, Lacalle Pou conveyed that they already had “positive data” that not only would the LUC be maintained, but that the pink ballot would not exceed the light blue one, but he added that in this instance they did not appear as “parties or candidates.” , so they should proceed with restraint and await fuller scrutiny. The president then said that he intended to give a press conference with the ministers behind him, and that he had not planned to go down to the street where the militants were waiting.
As for the reflection on the result, Lacalle maintained a cautious speech that he later repeated a few floors below at a press conference, and asked to “keep working” and “keep calm” from now on.
When the ministers were left alone again and with some sandwiches as an aperitif, the relief arrived. With applause, congratulations and photos, the Secretaries of State began to celebrate the ratification of the LUC and the same trend began to be repeated, too, at the foot of the government house.
Leonardo Carreno
Hundreds of militants celebrated the ratification of the 135 articles.
At the exit of the Executive Tower, the flags waved and the honks, now much more intensified, mixed with the chants and shouts that repeated the “I’m blue, I’m blue” or the “president, president” over and over again. Dozens of No ballots and as many from the 2019 ballot with the face of Lacalle Pou and Argimón flew through the air as a celebration.
