Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou

Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou is a Uruguayan lawyer and politician born in Montevideo on 11 August 1973. Lacalle Pou, who came from the National Party (Partido Nacional), served as president of Uruguay between March 1, 2020 and March 1, 2025.

political career

He comes from a family of politicians: his father, Luis Alberto Lacalle, ruled the country as president between 1990 and 1995. Lacalle Pou studied law at the Catholic University of Uruguay. He entered politics in the Canelones region; He was elected as a member of parliament from this region in 2000 and retained his seat in the next two terms. He served as president of the House of Representatives in 2011–2012.

He became his party's presidential candidate in the 2014 elections, but lost in the second round. He moved to the Senate in 2015 and served as a senator until 2019. He was a candidate again in the 2019 elections; In the second round, he beat Broad Front (Frente Amplio) candidate Daniel Martínez by a small margin. He took over from Tabaré Vázquez on March 1, 2020; He became the youngest head of state to take office since the end of military rule in 1985.

presidency

Lacalle Pou formed a government with a coalition consisting of several parties. After taking office, he introduced the Urgent Evaluation Law (LUC), which includes regulations in many areas, to the parliament; The law was passed in July 2020. The process initiated by the opposition to remove the controversial articles went to a referendum in March 2022, and voters chose to preserve the law. His period was also largely shaped by the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

He did not run in the 2024 elections because the Uruguayan constitution does not allow for a second consecutive term. He handed over power to Yamandú Orsi on March 1, 2025.