Mario Bergara

Mario Esteban Bergara Duque (; born 4 May 1965) is a Uruguayan economist, accountant and politician serving as Intendant of Montevideo since 2025. A member of the Broad Front, he previously served as Senator of the Republic in the 49th Legislature, as president of the Central Bank of Uruguay between 2008–2013 and again from 2015–2018, and as minister of Economy and Finance from 2013 to 2015.

Early life Bergara, along with his twin brother, was born on 4 May 1965 in Montevideo to a family of Spanish descent. His parents were members of the Colorado Party. He attended primary school at Escuela N° 137 María Noya and secondary school at Liceo Nº 26 Líber Falco. Bergara attended the University of the Republic for his undergraduate studies, graduating as an economist and public accountant in 1987 and 1990. In 1998, he obtained his doctorate in economics from the University of California, Berkeley after completing his master's degree in economics a year earlier, also at Berkeley. In 2008, Bergara was awarded the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award from Berkeley.

Bergara started to revolt against the civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay as early as sixteen years old, starting off by collecting signatures and distributing flyers. In 1983, Bergara joined the Communist Youth Union. After the electoral victory of Tabaré Vázquez in the 2004 general election, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, accompanying Minister Danilo Astori.

He resigned from his position in the ministry at the same time that Astori did. On 11 November 2008, he assumed the role of President of the Central Bank of Uruguay, a position he held until 26 December 2013. At that moment, he was appointed Minister of Economy and Finance, replacing Fernando Lorenzo. He returned to the post of president of the Central Bank in April 2015.

In 2019, Bergara was a candidate in the Broad Front primary election. However, he was defeated by Daniel Martínez, who represented the party in the general election the same year. After the primary result of the elections, Bergara obtained a total vote count of 23,688, corresponding to 9.28% of the total votes received by the Broad Front.

In the 2019 general election, he was elected Senator of the Republic for the 49th Legislature, taking office on 15 February 2020. In August 2023, he launched his candidacy for the Broad Front’s 2024 presidential primary. However, he withdrew it in April 2024 and announced his endorsement of Yamandú Orsi. In the general election he was reelected as a senator for the 50th Legislature.

Starting in December 2024, speculation began to grow about a possible candidacy for Intendant of Montevideo in the 2025 municipal elections. In March, he officially launched his campaign. Bergara won the municipal election as the most voted candidate of the Broad Front, which emerged as the most supported party under the Ley de Lemas system. He resigned his Senate seat on July 8, 2025 and took office as Intendant on the 10th.

Personal life Bergara was married to journalist and anchorperson Blanca Rodríguez. He had a son, Diego, who died in 2013 from an undisclosed illness.