A heated political debate erupted in the Uruguayan Senate on Wednesday after lawmakers from the Broad Front proposed a motion to declare the U.S. fuel blockade against Cuba as a “grave and urgent” issue.
The discussion led to intense criticism from the opposition, a verbal confrontation between Senator Sebastián Da Silva and Vice President Carolina Cosse—who presides over the Senate—and the subsequent withdrawal of several opposition legislators from the session, as reported by local outlets such as El Observador and Teledoce.
During his remarks, National Party Senator Sebastián Da Silva criticized the Senate for spending time on Cuba’s situation, arguing that there are more pressing domestic issues in Uruguay. He suggested that the government was using the topic to distract from declining approval ratings and internal problems. “There's an analysis within the government about the drop in popular approval in the polls, and they are worried. What’s the politician’s most basic excuse when not admitting their own mistakes? Blame the communicators,” he asserted.
Da Silva argued that the proposal regarding Cuba was meant to divert attention from other issues. He questioned the urgency of the matter, stating, “How can someone with a basic understanding of political science consider this Cuba issue as urgent and grave? When there are at least fifteen departments where no one knows what will happen with the drought, when there are tragic circumstances at the level of INAU, and when security is in disarray.”
In this context, the senator intensified his rhetoric and directed a message at the ruling party legislators. In a video shared on X, Da Silva stated, “Go to Cuba already, President, go and see how it proliferates, it is of the sweetness of Cuban communism’s prosperity, but leave already, stop bothering the Senate.”
During the exchange, Vice President Carolina Cosse interrupted Da Silva, urging him to avoid political references. “Senator, I ask you not to make political references in your argumentation and to respect the institution... continue your argumentation adhering to the rules,” she instructed.
Elsewhere in the debate, National Party Senator Javier García questioned the urgency of the matter for the country. “I don’t think there is a single Uruguayan who can agree with the Senate spending hours today because a declaration about Cuba is a grave and urgent issue for Uruguay,” he said.
García announced his refusal to participate in the discussion of the declaration. “I’m going to my office to work,” he stated during the session.
Colorado Party Senator Pedro Bordaberry also criticized the focus on the issue, asserting that the country faces other priorities. Meanwhile, Senator Andrés Ojeda expressed that it was neither reasonable nor convenient for Uruguay, which is dealing with numerous fatalities from drug trafficking, to spend hours on this matter.
Following these interventions, several opposition legislators left the chamber. The motion was eventually approved with the votes of the 17 Broad Front senators, without opposition support. The text expressed “deep concern and rejection” of the U.S. executive order imposing a fuel blockade on Cuba.
The document claims that the measure “intensifies the economic, commercial, and financial blockade established against Cuba since 1960” and warns of “serious and foreseeable humanitarian consequences,” affecting essential services such as electricity generation, food distribution, and hospital care.
Furthermore, it states that “one can have significant differences with a form of government, and can demand different governance and greater freedoms, but that does not justify the adoption of unilateral coercive measures with extraterritorial reach, which ultimately function as a collective punishment against the very people they are supposed to help.”
Key Questions About the Uruguayan Senate's Debate on Cuba
What sparked the debate in the Uruguayan Senate?
The debate was sparked by a proposal from Broad Front legislators to address the U.S. fuel blockade on Cuba as an urgent and grave issue.
Why did some Uruguayan senators oppose the discussion on Cuba?
Some senators opposed the discussion, arguing that there are more pressing domestic issues in Uruguay and that the focus on Cuba was a distraction from these problems.
What was the outcome of the motion on Cuba in the Uruguayan Senate?
The motion was approved with the votes of the 17 Broad Front senators, expressing concern and rejection of the U.S. fuel blockade on Cuba, without support from the opposition.