US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised Uruguay's presidential election with a congratulatory message on Monday, following polls that elevated a conservative challenger and ended 15 years of leftist rule
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2019) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised Uruguay's presidential election with a congratulatory message on Monday, following polls that elevated a conservative challenger and ended 15 years of leftist rule."I congratulate President-elect Luis Lacalle Pou and the people of Uruguay on holding successful Presidential elections on November 24," Pompeo said in a press release. "The United States and Uruguay enjoy a long-standing and mutually beneficial partnership that is testimony to our many shared democratic values and priorities."
Pompeo made no mention of the left-to-right shift ushered in by the election, in which pro-business conservative� Lacalle Pou defeated Daniel Martinez of the Broad Front coalition of leftist and center-left parties. Leftist parties had controlled Uruguay politics for the past 15 years.
Shortly after the election, Lacalle Pou signaled that Uruguay would recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who in January declared himself the country's president, reversing a policy in which Uruguay has continued to view Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's only legitimate leader.
Several countries, including the US, have endorsed Guaido as Venezuela's leader and urged Maduro to step down. Maduro, in turn, accused the US of attempting to orchestrate a coup in the country and bring Guaido to power. Russia, China, Turkey, and several other countries have continued to recognize Maduro as the only legitimate Venezuelan leader.
