(ANSA) - MONTEVIDEO, MAY 23 - The Interior Minister of Uruguay, Jorge Larrañaga, died suddenly yesterday of a heart attack. This was confirmed by various government sources to the Subrayado news portal.
Larrañaga, 63, was a Senator for the National Party, and previously held the post of Mayor of the city of Paysandu for many years.
His political commitment led him to run for president in the 2004 elections and then twice for the vice presidency (2009 and 2014) in a ticket with Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera and then with his son, Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou.
With the latter's presidential triumph in 2019, Larrañaga was appointed Minister of the Interior, a position he held from March 1, 2020 until his death.
Upon hearing the news, the head of state expressed his grief via Twitter: "Jorge Larrañaga is dead. How sad! I learned to love and respect him. He was affectionate even in the toughness of the battle. respected. He was in his best moment. " (HANDLE).