Jorge Osvaldo Gandini Astesiano (born 5 May 1958) is a Uruguayan politician of the National Party, who currently serves as

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 ...

since 2020. He previously served as National Representative from 2005 to 2020 and as its president from 2018 to 2019.

Early life and education

Jorge Gandini Astesiano was born on May 5, 1958, in the

Aires Puros Aires Puros is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Location It borders Lavalleja and Paso de las Duranas to the northwest, Casavalle to the northeast, Cerrito and Brazo Oriental to the southeast, Atahualpa and Prado ...

neighborhood of

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 ...

, the eldest son of a newsstand and a public official, both supporters of the Colorado Party. He attended School Israel and Liceo 21. He studied law at 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 ...

, however he dropped out in his fourth year.

Political career

Gandini became a member of the National Party while he was studying at university during the campaign for the 1980 constitutional referendum. In the 1984 election, he was elected alternate National Representative for the 42nd Legislature. From 1985 to 1987 he served as secretary of the youth wing of the National Party, and between 1985 and 1988 as secretary of the youth of the Por la Patria sector.El Espectador - Gandini
/ref> During the Lacalle Herrera administration, he was the first director of the National Youth Institute (INJU), a position he held until 1995, and from that position he promoted the 'Youth Card' program. At the same time and since 1992, he presided over the National Post Office of Uruguay. In 1994 he endorsed Alberto Volonté for president, by joining the Propuesta Nacional sector led by Álvaro Ramos Trigo. In the election that year Gandini was re-elected as National Representative, but he joined the Senate after the appointment of Ramos Trigo as foreign minister in the administration of Julio María Sanguinetti. In 2004 he joined the National Alliance and was elected National Representative. For the 2009 presidential primaries he endorsed

Jorge Larrañaga Jorge Washington Larrañaga Fraga (8 August 1956 – 22 May 2021) was an Uruguayan politician of the National Party (PN) who was Minister of the Interior from 1 March 2020 until his death. He also previously served as Intendant of Paysandú ...

for president. Gandini's 2004-50 list was the most voted in Montevideo among those in the National Alliance sector, so he was re-elected National Representative for the 47th Legislature. In June 2012 he announced that he would run for Intendant of Montevideo in the 2015 municipal elections. However, in December 2014 he withdrew his candidacy for the Concertation Party (an alliance between the National and Colorado parties) because the Herrerist faction of the National Party defeated the Wilsonist in that year's election. Instead, the party decided to nominate Álvaro Garcé. Simultaneously, Gandini was re-elected National Representative for the 48th Legislature in the 2014 general election. In the 2019 presidential primaries Gandini supported

for president. In the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

he supported the party's candidate

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 ...

and was elected

. In the campaign leading up to the referendum on the Law of Urgent Consideration of 2022, Gandini was one of the main National Party politicians in defense of the law.

Presidential campaign (2023–2024)

Gandini declared on several occasions since 2022 that a candidate from the Wilsonist faction of the party should run in the 2024 presidential primaries. He also declared that the other potential nationalist pre-candidates Álvaro Delgado Ceretta and

Laura Raffo María Laura Raffo Degeronimi (born 22 September 1973) is a Uruguayan economist, businesswoman and politician of the National Party (Uruguay), National Party (PN). She began her political career in 2020 after being proclaimed as the candidate of ...

came from the same party faction,

Herrerism Herrerism is the centre-right political faction of the National Party of Uruguay. History and prominent members Herrerism is named after the leader and founder of the faction, Luis Alberto de Herrera (1873–1959). His grandson, Luis Alberto Lac ...

. On October 18, 2023 he officially announced his candidacy for president, becoming the first major candidate to announce a run for the 2024 National presidential primaries. In the National Party primary election on June 30, 2024, Gandini obtained 5,8 % of the vote, placing third behind Álvaro Delgado Ceretta―who was elected the party's candidate for the

―and

References

{{Authority control National Party (Uruguay) politicians Members of the Senate of Uruguay Members of the Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay 1958 births Living people