National Party triumphs in three departments, despite legal complaints against candidates.
In Artigas, Soriano, and Salto, National Party candidates linked to legal cases or political controversies won. The polls gave them support, confirming the strength of the party in the interior despite public and media criticism.
Besozzi, Soravilla, and Albisu achieved victories in their departments despite being in question.
Artigas, Soriano, and Salto elected figures questioned by the courts or linked to political controversies. The electoral support outweighed public warnings.
In last Sunday's departmental elections, the National Party achieved significant victories in the interior of the country, even in departments where its main representatives were facing criminal charges, indictments, or had resigned due to alleged irregularities.
In Artigas , the Whites retained the mayor's office with Emiliano Soravilla , political successor to Pablo Caram and Valentina Dos Santos. Both were protagonists in the so-called "overtime case," a corruption case that led to convictions, resignations from the party, and their disqualification as candidates. Even so, Soravilla won with 53% of the vote. Before the election, he made it clear to whom he answered politically: "Valentina is the leader," he stated, and announced that he would appoint her as secretary general.
In Soriano , Guillermo Besozzi —a former mayor charged with several crimes including influence peddling, abuse of office, and bribery—won reelection. Despite facing judicial restrictions and wearing an electronic anklet, the former leader was allowed to go out until midnight to hold political rallies. With a speech centered on his innocence and accusing the justice system and the media in the capital, he won reelection with 50.4% of the vote.
In Salto Grande , the Republican Coalition (made up of anti-Frenteamplista sectors) achieved its only victory in the country thanks to nationalist Carlos Albisu . His candidacy was not without controversy: in 2023, Albisu was forced to resign from the Salto Grande Joint Technical Commission after the revelation of 27 irregular direct contracts, mostly from his sector. Despite this precedent, he received the explicit support of President Luis Lacalle Pou during the campaign, which consolidated his victory with 57.4% of the vote.
These results show that, at least in Artigas, Soriano, and Salto, judicial or political challenges did not translate into a significant loss of support. In fact, in some cases, the percentages were similar to or slightly lower than in 2020, when no criminal records were on the table.
