MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) – Voters in the small South American nation of Uruguay went to the polls Sunday to choose a new president in a contest between two moderates who buck the region’s trends of bitter division and erosion of democracy.
The battle between Uruguay’s incumbent conservative coalition and its challengers, a centre-left coalition, began with some 2.7 million voters also voting in a contentious referendum on the overhaul of parliament and the social security system. .
The pension vote, which will widen the budget deficit in one of Latin America’s richest countries, has been voted on more frequently in recent weeks than other key campaign issues such as child poverty, education and security. is attracting media attention.
The candidates are largely in agreement on many issues, and hopes for a presidential vote that will bring about dramatic changes in the country of 3.4 million, long considered a model democracy and a bastion of regional stability. No one does.
“In a sense, Uruguay is boring, but boredom in this sense is a very good thing,” said Juan Cruz Díaz, a political analyst who runs the Buenos Aires consultancy Cefeidas. “We’ve seen a lot of dramatic changes in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia, and suddenly we’re facing a consensus and stable election in Uruguay.”
While voters in neighboring Brazil and Argentina have recently expressed anger over the current situation, voters in Uruguay remain largely satisfied with the government’s pro-business policies and steady economic growth. The current centre-right president, Luis Lacalle Pou, has an approval rating of 50%.
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The presidential campaign unfolded without the vitriol and personal attacks seen in other countries such as the United States, Argentina and Brazil.
Because the constitutional term limit restricts Lacalle Pou from running for a second consecutive term, the ruling party’s candidate is Alvaro Delgado, a member of the House of Representatives and Lacalle Pou’s former chief of staff who started his career as a veterinarian. Mr. (55).
“This administration has left us with a very solid first step to continue building our future,” Delgado said at a closing campaign rally.
His main challenger is Yamandu Orsi, a centre-left former mayor and history teacher. He has humble roots, coming from the Frente Amplio (or Broad Front) coalition, which ruled for 15 years until La Calle Pou’s victory in 2019.
From 2005 to 2020, Frente Amplio oversaw progressive legislation, including the legalization of same-sex marriage. Uruguay became the first country to legalize recreational cannabis and developed the world’s greenest electricity grid, powered by 98% renewable energy.
The latest opinion polls show Orsi with a solid 44% lead, but he has not won outright, and the country will go to a run-off election on November 24.
Mr. Orsi is the successor of Jose “Pepe” Mujica, the popular eccentric former guerrilla who spearheaded Uruguay’s transformation into the continent’s most socially liberal country during his 2010-2015 presidential term. It has benefited from the support of the president.
Mujica, 89, who is battling esophageal cancer, was in the capital Montevideo to vote on Sunday. He arrived at the polls in a wheelchair and was immediately swarmed by reporters.
“We need to support democracy not because it’s perfect, but because humanity hasn’t invented anything better yet,” he told reporters after leaving the polling station. spoke.
Like Mujica, who lives in a modest farmhouse on the outskirts of Montevideo, Orsi said he would not live in the presidential palace if elected.
A distant third is Andres Ojeda, 40, a muscular and media-savvy lawyer. He has tried to energize apathetic young voters with flashy campaign videos in which he lifts weights at the gym and describes himself as a typical Capricorn.
“I want to be a candidate who inspires and captivates people,” he said at a campaign event Thursday.
He told The Associated Press that his unconventional style is similar to that of other Latin American artists who use social media to gather fans, such as El Salvadoran populist Nayib Boucle and Argentina’s radical liberal Javier Millay. He said he draws inspiration from charismatic “new political leaders.” But he supports the ruling coalition and has promised no fundamental changes.
The election campaign has largely focused on the rise in murders and robberies, with the ruling coalition advocating a tougher approach to crime and the Liberal coalition vowing to increase the state’s role in security issues.
Voters are also concerned about one in five Uruguayan children living in poverty and the country’s low high school graduation rate.
However, overlapping party platforms have left many Uruguayan voters apathetic.
“We didn’t reach the level of participation that Uruguay has had historically in a presidential campaign that is far away from the people,” said Julián Kanarek, a Montevideo-based political analyst.
Perhaps more pressing than the presidential election is the constitutional referendum on revising Uruguay’s social security system.
If approved by more than 50% of voters, the $23 billion plan, backed by the country’s powerful left-wing trade unions, would lower the retirement age, increase benefits and transfer Uruguayans’ privately managed savings into government-run trusts. I will do it.
Both leading candidates have voiced their opposition to the proposal, which has already rattled global markets. Supporters say it would redistribute Uruguay’s resources more equitably, ignoring the fiscal implications.
A referendum is also being held to allow police to search homes at night.
Uruguayans are not obliged to vote in national referendums, but they are required to vote in parliamentary and presidential elections.
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Debre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
