About Luis Pou
Luis Lacalle Pou, former president of Uruguay, has been active in political commentary and party events since leaving office in March 2025. In late October 2025, he criticized the administration of President Yamandú Orsi for canceling a contract with the Spanish shipyard Cardama for the construction of two ocean patrol boats. Lacalle Pou stated that the government "is more dedicated to destroying what it found than to building what it does not have a plan for" and said he believed "they dragged the president into a political operation." He argued that the contract had been properly vetted and that the decision exposed Uruguay to legal and financial risks. The National Party, with Lacalle Pou's participation, announced it would seek to interpellate the Defense Minister over the matter.
In earlier appearances, Lacalle Pou reflected on his own administration and the 2024 electoral loss. At a National Party convention in June 2025, he said the party needed self-criticism and acknowledged that "maybe the Broad Front's candidacy wasn't so bad, or ours wasn't better." He also spoke about the concept of "freedom with responsibility," which he said guided his government, and expressed a willingness to return to politics, stating he would "live it again, correcting errors." In September 2025, he criticized the governments of Venezuela and Cuba, saying of Nicolás Maduro and Miguel Díaz-Canel that "the power embraced them, hypnotized them, and they have no way out."
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Luis Pou's recent appearances.
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✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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Luis Pou0:00
Uruguay, the street, Paulo, we listen and if it were not so, what we have done so far is to advance in a feasibility study together with China, which had its positive consequences, and now we are ready to start negotiating bilaterally with China. Uruguay-China. What we have said and we repeat, and this is obvious before having the meeting with President Lula tomorrow, so I cannot anticipate what his comments will be. When that time comes, we have told the Mercosur summits themselves: we will look to the side and we will go to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay if they agree to advance in that negotiation. If there is a better or improved proposal from some countries of the bloc, welcome.
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Reporter0:56
President, good afternoon. Marcelo Peláez from Channel 3 and TN in Buenos Aires. Are you willing to sign a final document that values democracy in all countries of the region, when you yourself earlier in your speech said that there are countries that do not respect democracy, institutions, or human rights? And secondly, I would like to ask you how you reacted after learning that the Argentine Minister of Economy considered Uruguay as a little brother.
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Luis Pou1:27
It seems like Disneyland, but seriously, regarding the first point: in points 3 and 4 of the declaration, it speaks of human rights, democracy, institutions, and since this body lacks certain formalities, it is simply approved by consensus. I thought it was fair and reasonable when some actions carried out by citizens in Brazil that somehow threatened democracy were being rightly criticized. That is, there are countries here in this community that, while agreeing to the declaration that speaks of caring for institutions, respect for democracy, and human rights, are complying with it. It is basically the same thing we said in Mexico, but now that it is explicitly recognized in a hundred-point declaration, it seemed logical to say it.
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Reporter2:28
President. Disneyland. President.
I go back. President, good afternoon. I am Román Legman from Infobae. Yes, what I wanted to ask is the following: in light of your strategic decision to pursue a free trade agreement with China, what should the other three countries of the Mercosur regional bloc do for you to discard this hypothesis? What should change in Mercosur? What should be made more flexible? What should they do, given that perhaps tomorrow or today you will have a meeting with Lula, so that this possibility is discarded and the entire bloc advances together on the same path?
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Luis Pou3:19
Thank you for the question. First, it is not specifically with China. In this case, China is our first trading partner. It could be the United States, it could be Turkey, as we started some conversations, it could be the decision to join the Pacific Alliance. Uruguay is open to the world. Mercosur is the fifth most protectionist region on the planet. We understand the positions of other countries that have different interests and different situations. Simply, at this stage, what should happen? Two things: first, I am not the one to tell other countries what they want to do; and second, and this is perhaps more important, in internal and external political activity, there is a strategy and a tactic. Generally, the strategy is known and the tactic is applied.
