Guillermo Stirling

Background and political alignment

Stirling is a prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party. He has been a close colleague of Presidents Julio María Sanguinetti and Jorge Batlle.

His grandfather Manuel Stirling was a Deputy and Senator for Paysandú.

Stirling was President of the Chamber of Deputies of Uruguay from March 1, 1995 to March 1, 1996.

Ministerial office

He served as Interior Minister under the Presidency of Julio María Sanguinetti (2nd Presidency).

He subsequently served in the same office under Jorge Batlle's Presidency.

Presidential candidate, 2004

He was the unsuccessful Colorado Party candidate in the 2004 Presidential elections, gaining 10% of the vote, (see 'Politics of Uruguay: Political parties and elections', below), which came about following a period of considerable economic instability.

Later political alignment with Pedro Bordaberry Herrán

Stirling was seen as closer to Pedro Bordaberry Herrán for the Presidential elections in 2009, as opposed to former Vice President of Uruguay Luis Antonio Hierro López, who was also seen as a likely contender for the Colorado Party's candidacy. However, it was thought that Stirling himself and his internal voting recommendations did not command a very large personal following within the party. It was also thought that for the 2009 elections Stirling, (1937-), who served in the government of President Jorge Batlle, (1927-), had to some extent been eclipsed by politicians of the generation of Pedro Bordaberry, (1960-), whose 'Vamos Uruguay' grouping within the Colorado Party Stirling in any case endorsed, prior to his retirement from politics in 2008 at the age of 71.