(EFE) – The candidates for the Presidency of Uruguay for the ruling National Party, Álvaro Delgado, and for the opposition Frente Amplio, Yamandú Orsi, presented their proposals in the television debate held this Sunday, in which both politicians committed that they will not raise taxes .
The debate between the candidates prior to the second round next Sunday was broadcast on national radio and television, and is stipulated by Law 18,827, promulgated in September 2019.
It began with opposing messages from the candidates. While Orsi pointed out that Uruguay is “a stagnant country,” Delgado pointed out that the ruling party’s model ensures “future and development.”
“Next Sunday we will have to choose between two options: that of a stagnant country, that of unfulfilled promises or that of certain change. A sure change that will not be radical and that implies the well-being of our people,” said the Frente Amplista.
Delgado stressed: “Here two country models are compared, a model that regresses with ideology and uncertainties. And a model -ours- that ensures guarantee, certainties, future and development.”
In the debate that lasted 90 minutes, the candidates presented their opinions on five thematic blocks: human development, security, economy, knowledge and work.
In the first of these, both agreed on the importance of giving “quality of life to citizens.”
In terms of security, Delgado pointed out that the current Government will leave the next Government, for the first time since 1984, with fewer reported crimes, something that was achieved, he assured, due to trust in the police.
Although he said that they are not satisfied with what has been achieved, he reviewed with a graph the numbers on the decrease in robberies (42%), thefts (22%), cattle rustling (57%) and homicides (3%); He said that “is the way.”
In addition, he mentioned the importance of repression, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Orsi, for his part, spoke of the victims “as a result of violence” in Uruguay, and gave as an example that every 15 days a child enters a hospital for a gunshot wound.
In that sense, he said that the pillars of his security policy will be the active exercise of authority, the defense of victims of crime and delinquency, in addition, he gave support to the police and the incorporation of more technology.
When talking about the economy, the Frente Amplio candidate recalled that when that party governed, between 2005 and 2020, the Gross Domestic Product increased by 73.2%.
“We are not going to increase taxes. In this period in which I will have to be Government, we are going to especially support small and medium-sized businesses,” Orsi said.
On the contrary, Delgado said that the Frente Amplio Government delivered the country with an inflation “of almost double digits” and that currently this is half, while pointing out that the real salary “is the highest in 49 years”.
He also said that an eventual government headed by Orsi will raise taxes, since, he assured, that is what the Frente Amplio program says, and that on the contrary the ruling coalition will not do so.
“We are not going to raise taxes, we are going to generate incentives for investment and we are going to open Uruguay to the world with pragmatism and without ideology,” said Delgado.
Delgado added that he wants “a cheaper Uruguay to live in and produce.”
When Orsi intervened again, he reiterated that he will not raise taxes.
He spoke about unemployment in the country, detailing that unemployment among young people is close to 26%, the highest in the region, he assured.
The National Party candidate said, on the contrary, that the unemployment rate in the country is 8.1% and among young people it is almost 2.5% higher.
The debate, held exactly one week before the second round of the elections, closed with a final message from each of the candidates.
“Here people can buy two models of country and two leaderships. Our model is a model of certainties, with economic growth, with security, with guarantees and with freedom. And the other model is to return to the past with a lot of ideology, with more uncertainty, with surely more taxes, but surely with less freedom and with many more risks,” said Delgado.
He offered his experience and added that he is prepared and tested to govern the country.
“One week left. You, we will all have to choose between two proposals, two projects: that of unfulfilled promises or the country of commitments. The country of commitments is one that implies safe change,” emphasized the opponent Orsi.
He reiterated that he wants to become the next president of the Uruguayans and that, just as he knew how to do it when he governed the department (province) of Canelones (2015-2024), he will know how to do it at the head of all of Uruguay.
Add Comment