Uruguay president-elect Orsi urges respect for ties with Venezuela

By Lucinda Elliott

MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) -Uruguay's president-elect Yamandu Orsi reiterated his controversial position on Venezuela during a press conference on Wednesday, saying his country must respect diplomatic relations in place and breaking precedent for recent leaders of the small South American nation.

Orsi who takes office in March following his Nov.24 victory for the center-left, said he would decide "in the moment" whether to invite Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to his inauguration who has become increasingly insolated in the region, following a disputed July election.

"Relationships are between states, not between presidents," Orsi said during a press conference. "We'll have to see, there's still time. "Hopefully everything will come together so that all countries will be invited (to the inauguration)."

Uruguay's current President Luis Lacalle Pou has repeatedly criticized what he described as the authoritarian regime in Venezuela, most recently at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Uruguay however still maintains diplomatic relations with Venezuela.

Following the contested July election result Caracas decided to withdraw its diplomats from several Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile and Peru, while several other nations cut diplomatic ties.

Orsi told Reuters last month that the July election was "more than suspicious" but he did not rule out inviting Maduro to his inauguration if he eventually won.

Venezuela's national electoral authority and its top court have said Maduro was the winner of the July 28 election with just over half of the votes, but tallies shared by the opposition show a resounding victory for the opposition.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado congratulated Orsi earlier on Wednesday. "Uruguay has been a great ally in the fight for democracy and human rights in Venezuela," Machado wrote on social media platform X.

(Reporting by Lucinda Elliott in Montevideo; Editing by Sarah Morland)