The Second presidency of Tabaré Vázquez refers to Tabaré Vázquez's second and last tenure as the 41st president of Uruguay whicu started on 1 March 2015 when he was inauguration until he left office on 1 March 2020. Vázquez, a member of the Broad Front Party had also previously served as Uruguay's president from 2005 until 2010 but nonetheless, Vázquez took office following his victory over the National Party nominee Luis Lacalle Pou in second round of the 2014 general election, thus granting another five years of leftism. This presidential term continued the policies established since the Broad Front came into power in 2005. Among the featured policies were the establishment of a National Caregiving System, the creation of the Ibirapitá Plan to promote the introduction of technology among the elderly, the transgender people law, and the authorization of the second pulp mill plant of the multinational company UPM.
2014 national elections
By the general election in October, Broad Front obtained 47.81% of votes against 30.88% obtained by the runner-up National Party and 12.89% of Colorado Party, among others, which required a second round to elect the presidential formula. There, Broad Front got elected 15 of 30 seats in the Senate, coming close to getting absolute majority in this chamber (which at the end reached when its vice-president was elected). In the Representatives chamber got the absolute majority with 50 of 99 members. After the second round, won the runoff the presidential formula of Tabaré Vázquez-Raúl Sendic with 53.48% of votes cast against 41.17% of National Party formula of Luis Lacalle Pou-Jorge Larrañaga. Therefore, this granted a third government to the Broad Front.
Cabinet
Domestic affairs
Public administration
Creation of the General Office of the Attorney General of Uruguay as Decentralized Service Since 2015 the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation (or Public Ministry) is not anymore an executing unit under the arms of the Ministry of Education and Culture and is now a decentralized service, independent from the Executive.
Approval of a new policy regarding civil servants in duty of foreign services In December 2019 a new policy of civil servants of Foreign Services was enacted by Law No. 19841, replacing the former one created during the civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay of 1973–1985, with the purpose of updating the Foreign Service of the Uruguayan public administration. This law updated the legal body taking into account the changes in the functional relationship and the reality of current international relations and, in addition, to unify the legal dispersion of old laws on the matter generated over the years. One of the reforms implemented by the new statute is to lower the age of mandatory retirement of ambassadors at 70 years old.
Industry, energy and mining
Search for petroleum, without success During 2016, the government agreed with French petroleum company Total to began drillings on the Uruguayan maritime platform, about 6400 meters deep, with the goal of finding crude oil. During this search President Vázquez gathered with former presidents since the return to democracy to deploy—if commercially exploitable petroleum deposits would be found—a State policy for the management of the revenues obtained by the resource, citing the example of Norway. However, the French company's report result was negative, not being proven the existence of petroleum in the exploration in one of the blocks of the maritime platform. This led the climate of optimism of the government to fell down and the opposition raised some criticism, stating that the notice and meetings were rushed and reckless. In October 2018, another exploration was performed, this time on land, in Cerro Padilla, Paysandú Department, 845 meters below ground by the company Schuepbach Energy (subsidiary of Petrel Energy), and it found traces of hydrocarbons, although samples of this deposit had to be analyzed in order to find out if it was commercially profitable. In November 2017, the company reported that the amount was insignificant and its exploitation was not commercially profitable. In the same month, the company started to drill on Cerro de Chaga, Salto Department, but it had to suspend the search the petroleum due to the need of new associates to add additional funding. In April 2018, the company announced it did not have enough funds to continue the exploration.
UPM 2 In mid July 2019, the government and the representatives of Finnish multinational company UPM confirmed an investment for the construction of its second pulp mill plant in Uruguay, with an investment of about 2.7 billion of United States dollars plus an additional 350 million to perform public works in the port of Montevideo and to build housing facilities in Paso de los Toros. The initial plan for the opening of the plant was foreseen for early 2022. The investment would generate 6000 jobs during the construction stage, and after that would be generated 10000 jobs, 4000 directly contacted by the company and the remaining from contractors in the supply chain of 600 companies. The investment would mean a gross domestic product growth of 2% and would bring economic growth in Durazno, Florida, Cerro Largo and Tacuarembó Departments between 10% and 15% of these Departments' GDPs. This investment was well received by the Government, as well as part of the opposition parties' members, such as Luis Lacalle Pou of National Party and Julio María Sanguinetti of Colorado Party, who also supported the project but disagreed with the way and terms of the negotiations. However, some political groups, such as Popular Unity Party and part of Open Cabildo Party rejected the secrecy of the negotiations and the terms of the investment contract, pointing out the environmental issues that could arise with the construction and commission of the plant or otherwise that the government gave up too much in the negotiation.
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