A left-wing former history teacher, Yamandú Orsi, has won Uruguay’s presidential election.

Mr Orsi defeated Álvaro Delgado, the candidate for the governing conservative coalition, by more than three percentage points in the run-off on Sunday.

Uruguay’s electoral body said Mr Orsi had won 49.8 per cent of the votes with all ballots counted, against 45.9 per cent for the National Party’s Álvaro Delgado.

Mr Orsi’s Broad Front also won a majority in the Uruguayan Senate, but his coalition did not clinch a majority in the Chamber of Representatives.

Addressing supporters shortly after the announcement, Mr Orsi vowed to build a more united country.

“No one must be left behind, from the social, economic and political point of view. This must also be a country that moves towards development, prosperity, national growth, a country that advances,” Mr Orsi noted.

Meanwhile, outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou has promised to work with Mr Orsi to ensure a smooth transition ahead of the swearing-in in March next year.

Mr Orsi’s victory marks a shift back to left-wing governance for the country, which had been under Frente Amplio’s leadership for 15 years until 2020.