The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, gave an interview to Folha de Sao Paulo published this Friday in which he referred to several topics, such as the situation of Mercosur, Uruguay’s interest in signing an FTA with China and also where he sees himself in 2029, when he will be able to seek re-election as president.
In the interview, Lacalle Pou was asked about the free trade agreement with China. “Today it is stopped by the action of Brazil and Argentina,” responded the Uruguayan president.
And he added that “everyone” knew that “both Brazil and Argentina have spoken with China and have made all diplomatic efforts so that Uruguay cannot sign a bilateral agreement.”
He was also consulted about the statements of the Brazilian Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, who assured that if Uruguay signs an FTA with China that would end Mercosur.
“I do not agree. I think Brazil has a conception that it carries, which is supremacy in the region. In some way, it does not want a Mercosur partner to have bilaterality with China,” the president responded.
Regarding his plans for 2029, Lacalle Pou said that he does not understand his life “away from politics.”
“I am a political being. I do not understand my life away from politics. There are very human feelings that one must know how to tame, such as the ego and the ambition for power. Can anyone guarantee that in 2029 I will want that? I cannot guarantee it. Only I can assure you that I will be close to people and politics because that makes me feel like a better person. If you told me what I want, almost like a secret and a confession: changing power for authority. Power is formal. gives the population, the Constitution and the laws. Authority is intellectual, emotional and moral, and there is no Constitution or law that gives it to you and that is a very beautiful bond with the people,” he concluded.
