Uruguay: Orsi defends “stability” in first-year address, announces justice ministry and new projects
Orsi said he will send Parliament a bill to create a Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, alongside a criminal procedure code reform drafted by an advisory group in 2025
Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi addressed the General Assembly on Monday to present a first-year account of his administration and set priorities for 2026, combining legislative announcements with infrastructure pledges across security, health, transport and technology.
Orsi argued that “in an unstable world, stability is a strategic asset,” and said his government took office amid a fiscal deficit “above 4% of GDP,” alongside spending commitments and contracts he said required technical and legal review.
He said the administration had defined “63 strategic priorities,” with “more than 80%” already “under way,” and he closed with a line aimed at setting tone: “My commitment is constancy, not grand gestures.”
Announcements and legislative agenda
Orsi said he will send Parliament a bill to create a Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, alongside a criminal procedure code reform drafted by an advisory group in 2025. He described the reform as an upgrade that would strengthen guarantees, consolidate the role of a guarantees judge, and update victims’ protections.
On security, he said 1,700 staff would be added (1,200 to fill vacancies and 500 posts for the prison system) and claimed Uruguay has already surpassed the target of 20,000 operational surveillance devices. He also announced the start of construction on two maximum-security prisons.
On infrastructure, Orsi said works would begin this year on the Hospital de la Costa in Atlántida, with an estimated US$ 40 million investment. On transport, he outlined a rail master plan to 2035 and announced two “high-frequency” trunk corridors for the metropolitan area; he said works would start in 2027 and the system would be operating by 2029, backed by multilateral credit lines.
On technology, he said the government has defined two new Antel data centers: an AI-focused facility in Pando (US$ 8 million) and a second site in Montevideo for geographic redundancy and information security.
Numbers: jobs, wages, poverty and crime
On official indicators, Uruguay’s national statistics office reported the Average Wage Index rose 5.24% in the 12 months to January 2026, while real wages increased 1.72% year-on-year, with 3.46% inflation over the same period.
On employment, annual summaries based on INE data place average unemployment in 2025 below 2024 levels, although the labour market has drawn renewed political scrutiny in recent weeks amid business closures and restructurings cited by opposition figures.
On poverty, INE estimated that in the first half of 2025 poverty affected 13.9% of households and 17.7% of people, with changes versus the prior year within the survey’s margin of error.
On security, the Interior Ministry reported an overall decline in recorded crime complaints in 2025, with homicides falling to 369 (from 382 in 2024) and decreases in robbery and theft reports, among other indicators.
Approval and political reaction
The address came as public opinion data showed a divided electorate. A Cifra poll released on Monday put approval of Orsi’s performance at 31%, disapproval at 46%, and 17% in a middle category.
Politically, government allies highlighted wage gains and job creation, while opposition lawmakers described the speech as partisan and challenged parts of the fiscal narrative; the proposed justice ministry became a focal point of confrontation between the blocs.
