Yamandú Orsi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yamandú Orsi
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Orsi in 2025
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| 43rd President of Uruguay | |
| Assumed office 1 March 2025 |
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| Vice President | Carolina Cosse |
| Preceded by | Luis Lacalle Pou |
| 22nd and 24th Intendant of the Canelones Department | |
| In office 26 November 2020 – 1 March 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Tabaré Costa |
| Succeeded by | Marcelo Metediera |
| In office 9 July 2015 – 6 February 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Gabriela Garrido |
| Succeeded by | Tabaré Costa |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Yamandú Ramón Antonio Orsi Martínez
13 June 1967 Canelones Department, Uruguay |
| Political party | Broad Front (since 1990) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse | Laura Alonsopérez |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Salinas, Uruguay |
| Alma mater | Artigas Teachers Institute |
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Yamandú Ramón Antonio Orsi Martínez (born 13 June 1967) is a Uruguayan politician and former history teacher. He became the 43rd president of Uruguay in March 2025. He is a member of the Movement of Popular Participation, which is a main part of the Broad Front political party. Before becoming president, he served as the Intendant (like a governor or mayor) of the Canelones Department from 2015 to 2020, and again from 2020 to 2024.
Orsi graduated from the Artigas Teachers Institute in 1991. He worked as a history teacher in several schools. He became involved in politics when he was a teenager. He joined the Vertiente Artiguista party and later the Movement of Popular Participation (MPP) in 1990.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Yamandú Ramón Antonio Orsi Martínez was born on 13 June 1967. He grew up in a rural area of the Canelones Department in Uruguay. He is the second child of Pablo "Bebe" Orsi, a farmworker, and Carmen "Beba" Martínez, a seamstress. He has an older sister named María del Luján.
Orsi's family has roots in Italy on his father's side. His ancestors came from a town called Osiglia in Italy. On his mother's side, his family is from Spain. They were among the first people to settle in Montevideo from the Canary Islands.
His family faced financial difficulties when he was growing up. For a time, they lived in a house without electricity. When he was five, his family moved to the city of Canelones. This was because his father had a spine problem and could no longer work in the fields. In Canelones, his family opened a grocery store. Yamandú went to Primary School No. 110 and Liceo Tomás Berreta for his studies.
Orsi grew up in a Catholic family and was an altar boy. As a teenager, he enjoyed folk dancing. At 15, he won a contest to join a local dance group, which he was part of until he was 26. He also became active in politics during his teenage years. He helped collect signatures for a referendum in 1989.
In 1986, he started studying international relations at the University of the Republic. However, he left after only a month. He then enrolled at the Artigas Teachers Institute in Montevideo. He studied to become a history teacher for high school students and graduated in 1991.
Political Career
Starting in Politics
In 2004, while still teaching history, Orsi ran for the Chamber of Representatives. He was a candidate for the Movement of Popular Participation in the Canelones Department, but he did not win. In 2005, he became the first alternate for Marcos Carámbula, who was running for Intendant of Canelones.
When Carámbula won the election, Orsi was appointed Secretary General of the Intendancy. This means he was a key leader in the local government. He continued in this role after Carámbula was re-elected in 2010. Since July 2005, Orsi has been a member of the national and local boards of the Movement of Popular Participation.
Intendant of Canelones (2015–2024)
In March 2015, Orsi stepped down from his Secretary General role to run for Intendant himself. Many groups within the Broad Front party supported him. These included the MPP, the Communist Party, and the Vertiente Artiguista.
In the 2015 election, he was elected Intendant of the Canelones Department. He received the most votes among the candidates from the winning party. He officially took office on 9 July 2015. In October 2019, he managed the campaign for Daniel Martínez Villamil, the Broad Front's candidate for president. Orsi resigned as Intendant on 7 February 2020, and Tabaré Costa took over. However, Orsi ran for re-election and won again in the 2020 municipal election.
Presidential Campaign
After the Broad Front lost the 2019 general election, Orsi was seen as a possible candidate for the 2024 presidential primaries. On 19 March 2023, the Movement of Popular Participation officially supported his run for president. Other groups, like the Vertiente Artiguista, also backed him. On 9 December 2023, his candidacy was made official at the Broad Front Congress. Other candidates included Mario Bergara, Carolina Cosse, and Andrés Lima.
Presidency (2025–Present)
Orsi was the Broad Front's candidate for president in the 2024 Uruguayan general election. In the first round on 27 October, he received the most votes. He then faced Álvaro Delgado in the second round on 24 November, which Orsi won.
After his victory, many world leaders congratulated him. These included presidents like Gabriel Boric, Nicolás Maduro, and Claudia Sheinbaum. Other international politicians also sent their congratulations. The day after the election, Orsi visited former president José Mujica and his wife. Outgoing president Luis Lacalle Pou then met with his cabinet to plan the smooth transfer of power to Orsi.
During his campaign, on 23 September, Orsi announced his first cabinet member. Economist Gabriel Oddone became the Minister of Economy and Finance. On 27 November, Orsi chose Alejandro Sánchez Pereira to be the Secretary of the Presidency. In the following days, Orsi appointed more people to his team. These included Alfredo Fratti as Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries, and Cristina Lustemberg as Minister of Public Health. By 16 December, Orsi had announced all the members of his cabinet.
After being elected, Orsi met with international politicians to discuss relations between Uruguay and their countries. On 28 November, he met with the Chinese Ambassador to Uruguay, who gave him a letter from Xi Jinping. He also met with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasília to talk about shared projects.
On 6 December, the 2024 summit of Mercosur took place in Montevideo. Orsi attended as a guest of former President Lacalle Pou. At this meeting, a trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union was finalized. Orsi also held meetings with other regional leaders, including Luis Arce, Santiago Peña, and Gustavo Petro.
On 2 February 2025, Orsi announced that he would not move into the official presidential residence in Montevideo. He decided to continue living in his own home in Salinas.
Personal Life
Orsi is married to Laura Alonsopérez, who is an actress and ballet dancer from Maldonado. They have two children, twins Lucía and Victorio, who were born in 2012. The family lives in Salinas. Although he was raised Catholic, Orsi now considers himself an agnostic. He is a big fan of association football and supports Club Atlético Peñarol.
See also
In Spanish: Yamandú Orsi para niños
