Uruguay
Broad Front backed female leaders and approved a new protocol on gender violence
The political force issued three public statements in less than a month in response to attacks and criticism of government-aligned figures. At the same time, it updated its internal protocol and included complaints over incidents that occurred in the private sphere.
The Broad Front issued three public statements in recent weeks in support of four leaders from its ranks: Cristina Lustemberg, Blanca Rodríguez, Gabriela Valverde and Fabiana Goyeneche, amid political clashes and reactions on social media.
According to El País, the first statement came on August 20, when the FA presidency spoke out over the “attacks and public exposure” targeting Goyeneche, following a controversy linked to an article in the Accountability Bill that was ultimately not voted on by any deputy.
Later, on September 7, the FA Executive Secretariat warned about an “escalation of insults and political violence” against Lustemberg, stemming from statements by Senator Martín Lema and an outburst by Carlos Camy during a parliamentary committee meeting directed at Valverde. According to El País, Camy publicly apologized, as did Valverde for her remarks about Jorge Larrañaga.
This Monday, the Broad Front Political Board also rejected the “aggressions and the campaign of disqualification and discredit” against Blanca Rodríguez, after the senator spoke in favor of promoting regulation against hate speech on social media. In that statement, the FA said the attacks against the lawmaker are systematic and framed them as forms of macho violence aimed at intimidating and silencing women in representative office.
The chair of the FA Gender Commission, Florencia Astori, told El País that the reaction was prompted by a level of violence that has been unusual in recent weeks. In the same vein, the political force’s president, Fernando Pereira, told that outlet that these are acts of gender-based violence and macho practices. He also pointed to the criticism often received by Vice President Carolina Cosse and mentioned the attacks on Fernanda Souza, Rodríguez’s daughter.
From the opposition, meanwhile, they accused the FA of “victimization” and of “trivializing” political debate, arguing that those criticisms are part of the usual discussion, El País reported.
At the same time, the Broad Front approved a new Protocol for Action in Situations of Gender-Based Violence against Women and Dissidences. The text includes a chapter on political violence and, as a new feature, allows complaints over incidents that occurred in the private sphere to be processed.
According to El País, that change came after internal discussions opened by the complaint against former deputy Gerardo Núñez, who resigned his seat in 2023 by decision of the Communist Party of Uruguay and was later acquitted by the courts. The outlet also recalled another high-profile case, Martina Casás’s complaint of workplace and sexual harassment against former deputy Gustavo Olmos, which generated tensions within the political force.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
