Álvaro Luis Delgado Ceretta (born 11 March 1969) is a Uruguayan veterinarian and politician of the National Party (PN), who served as the 18th Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic from 2020 to 2023. He also previously served as National Representative from 2005 to 2015, as well as

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from 2015 to 2020. He is a candidate for

president of Uruguay The president of Uruguay ( es, Presidente del Uruguay), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. Their rights are determined in the Constitution of Urugua ...

in the 2024 general election. Born in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

and graduated from the

University of the Republic The University of the Republic ( es, Universidad de la República, sometimes ''UdelaR'') is Uruguay's oldest public university. It is by far the country's largest university, as well as the second largest public university in South America and t ...

in 1995 with the degree of Doctor of Veterinary and Veterinary Technology, Delgado has a postgraduate degree in Agroindustrial Management in the School of Management and International Studies of the ORT University of Uruguay. After graduating he started working as a rural producer and was a veterinary advisor in agricultural establishments.

Early life and education

Delgado was born in

on 11 March 1969 as the son of Omar Delgado, an accountant, and Celeste Ceretta. On his paternal side, he is of Spanish descent, tracing his ancestry to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, whereas on his mother's side, he is of Italian descent through

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

immigrants who arrived in Uruguay at the end of the 19th century and settled in the

Paysandú Department Paysandú Department () is a department of the northwestern region of Uruguay. It has an area of and a population of 113,124. Its capital is the city of Paysandú. It borders Salto Department to its north, Tacuarembó Department to its east, Río ...

. Delgado, along with her sister, Adriana, was raised in the neighborhoods of

Pocitos :''Pocitos is also the colloquial name for the city of Salvador Mazza, Salta Province, Argentina'' Pocitos is an upscale beach ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) in Uruguay's capital city, Montevideo. Location This area is located along the ba ...

and

Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It migh ...

and attended the Sacred Heart School and the

John XXIII Institute The John XXIII Salesian Institute () is a private Catholic college-preparatory school located in Montevideo, Uruguay. History It was founded in 1964 by the Salesian order and members of the Marist Brothers and the Sons of the Holy Family, with ...

. In 1987, Delgado enrolled at the

, graduating in 1995 with a degree in veterinary medicine. During his academic career, he was a member of the academic senate of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, for the University Guild Current (CGU). In 1997, he obtained a diploma in agroindustrial management from the ORT University of Uruguay. Before entering a career in politics, Delgado worked as a rural producer and veterinary advisor in agricultural establishments.

Political career

Delgado served as secretary to Senator Juan Carlos Raffo after joining his Senate campaign in 1989. In 1994 he was appointed secretary of the parliamentary nationalist caucus. In 1999, at the age of 29, he was appointed General Inspector of Labour, a position he held until December 2004. In the 2004 general election, Delgado was elected National Representative for

Montevideo Department Montevideo () is a department (''departamento'') of Uruguay. It is by far the smallest department in area, but also by far the most populated. Its capital is the city of Montevideo, which is also the national capital. While most of the departme ...

for the 46th Legislature (2005–2010), as part of the

Wilsonist Current The Wilsonist Current ( es, Correntada Wilsonista) is a social-liberal faction of the National Party of Uruguay. Founded in 2002 by Francisco Gallinal, its name comes from the Wilsonism, an important tendency of the Party, led by Wilson Ferrei ...

. In 2008, Delgado left the Wilsonist Current and declared himself independent within the party. In June he endorsed Carmelo Vidalín for the

presidential primaries The presidential primary elections and caucuses held in the various states, the District of Columbia, and territories of the United States form part of the nominating process of candidates for United States presidential elections. The United S ...

, however, he withdrew his candidacy. Delgado later joined the new political group ''Aire Fresco'' – Lista 404 along with

Luis Lacalle Pou Luis Alberto Aparicio Alejandro Lacalle Pou (; ''Luis Lacalle'' locally or ; born 10 August 1973) is a Uruguayan politician and lawyer serving as President of Uruguay since 1 March 2020. Son of former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, Lacalle ...

. In the 2009 general election, Delgado was re-elected National Representative to the 47th Legislature (2010–2015). During his terms in the Chamber of Representatives, he chaired the Energy and Mining Industry Commission (2006, 2011, 2012, and 2013). He was elected

Senator of the Republic A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for the first time in the 2014 election. During his tenure in the Senate, he filed a complaint of various "irregular" events in the management of the

state-owned company A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a Government, government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn Profit (econom ...

ANCAP ANCAP may refer to: * ANCAP (commodity standard), based on ammonium nitrate, copper, aluminum and plywood * Australasian New Car Assessment Program * ANCAP (Uruguay), (''Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcoholes y Portland''), a state-ow ...

between 2005 and 2015, invoking a parliamentary investigative commission. In 2016, he was part of the group of opposition senators who filed criminal complaints about the economic and financial situation of the company. In the 2019 general election, he was the second-listed candidate to the Senate of the Aire Fresco ballot, which was the most voted in the entire National Party. In December, the then president-elect

appointed him Secretary of the Presidency. In February 2020, he assumed his senatorial seat, but resigned from it on March 1, when he took office as Secretary of the Presidency, succeeding Miguel Toma.

2024 presidential campaign

Álvaro Delgado began to be seen as a contender for the 2024 National Party presidential primaries since mid-2021. On November 18, 2023, he formally announced his candidacy for the ''Aire Fresco'' – Lista 404 sector of the party. On December 9 during the National Party Convention he announced that he would resign as head of the Presidential Secretariat on the 21st. In late November 2023, he was polling at about 52% in the National primary opinion polls. On December 21, 2023, he resigned from the position of Secretary of the Presidency to carry out his presidential campaign, which was officially launched on March 16, 2024, at a rally held at the Palacio Peñarol in

Personal life

Delgado met Leticia Lateulade while he was attending university in 1991, and they married in 1997. Together, they have three children: Agustina, Felipe, and Pilar.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delgado, Álvaro National Party (Uruguay) politicians Members of the Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay Members of the Senate of Uruguay Uruguayan veterinarians 1969 births Living people Uruguayan people of Italian descent Uruguayan people of Spanish descent University of the Republic (Uruguay) alumni Candidates for President of Uruguay