Uruguay’s leftist opposition candidate, Yamandú Orsi, became the country's new president in a tight runoff election that ousted the conservative governing coalition.

Frente Amplio leader Yamandú Orsi, who won last Sunday's presidential run-off plays up ties to ex-president Jose 'Pepe' Mujica ahead of taking office.

By Lucinda Elliott and Sarah Morland MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) -Center-left opposition candidate Yamandu Orsi secured victory in Uruguay's presidential election, official results showed on Sunday, with 99% of votes tallied,

Leftist candidate Yamandú Orsi has won Uruguay's presidency in a closely contested runoff election. Orsi's win ushers in a return of the Broad Front, the party that governed for 15 consecutive years until the 2019 election of center-right National Party President Luis Lacalle Pou.

Uruguayans are returning to the polls for a second round of voting to choose their next president. In Sunday's election, the conservative governing party and the left-leaning coalition locked in a close runoff after failing to win an outright majority in last month’s vote.

Uruguay's leftist opposition candidate, Yamandú Orsi, claimed victory in a tight presidential runoff Sunday, ousting the conservative governing coalition and making the South American nation the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in a year of landmark elections.

The result in Montevideo follows a trend of victories for anti-incumbency candidates in Latin America, and a regional leftward turn.

Left-wing politician Yamandú Orsi is poised to become the next president of Uruguay after his main challenger in the runoff conceded defeat Sunday and even the outgoing leader of the South American co