Uruguayans went to the polls Sunday for a second round of voting to choose their next president, with the conservative governing party and the left-leaning coalition locked in a close runoff after failing to win an outright majority in last month\u2019s vote. <\/p>\n
The staid election has turned into a hard-fought race between \u00c1lvaro Delgado, the incumbent party\u2019s candidate, and Yamand\u00fa Orsi from the Broad Front, a coalition of leftist and center-left parties that governed for 15 years until the 2019 victory of center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou. <\/p>\n
The Broad Front oversaw the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and the sale of marijuana in the small South American nation of 3.4 million people. <\/p>\n
Orsi\u2019s Broad Front took 44% of the vote while Delgado\u2019s National Party won 27% in the first round of voting Oct. 27. But the other conservative parties that make up the government coalition \u2013 in particular, the Colorado Party \u2013 notched 20% of the vote collectively, enough to give Delgado an edge over his challenger this time around. <\/p>\n
Congress ended up evenly split in the October vote. Most polls have shown a virtual tie between Delgado and Orsi, with nearly 10% of Uruguayan voters undecided even at this late stage. <\/p>\n
Analysts say the candidates\u2019 lackluster campaigns and broad consensus on key issues have generated extraordinary indecision and apathy in an election dominated by discussions about social spending and concerns over growing income inequality but largely free of the anti-establishment rage that has vaulted populist outsiders to power elsewhere. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe question of whether Frente Amplio (the Broad Front) raises taxes is not an existential question, unlike what we saw in the US with Trump and Kamala framing each other as threats to democracy,\u201d said Nicol\u00e1s Sald\u00edas, a Latin America and Caribbean senior analyst for the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t exist in Uruguay.\u201d <\/p>\n
Both candidates are also appealing to voter angst over a surge in violent crime that has shaken a nation long regarded as one of the region\u2019s most safe and stable. <\/p>\n
Delgado promises tough-on-crime policies and a new maximum-security prison while Orsi advocates a community-oriented approach to crime prevention. <\/p>\n
Delgado, 55, a rural veterinarian with a long career in the National Party, campaigned on a vow to continue the legacy of current President Lacalle Pou \u2013 in some ways making the election into a referendum on his leadership. He campaigned under the slogan \u201cre-elect a good government.\u201d <\/p>\n
While a string of corruption scandals briefly rattled Lacalle Pou\u2019s government last year, the president \u2013 who constitutionally cannot run for a second consecutive term \u2013 now enjoys high approval ratings and a strong economy expected to grow 3.2% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Inflation has also eased in recent months, boosting his coalition. <\/p>\n
Delgado served most recently as Secretary of the Presidency for Lacalle Pou and promises to pursue his predecessor\u2019s pro-business policies. He would continue pushing for a trade deal with China that has raised hackles in Mercosur, an alliance of South American countries that promotes regional commerce. <\/p>\n
Orsi, 57, a former history teacher and two-time mayor from a working-class background, is widely seen as an heir to iconic former President Jos\u00e9 \u201cPepe\u201d Mujica, a former Marxist guerilla who raised Uruguay\u2019s international profile as one of the region\u2019s most socially liberal and environmentally sustainable nations during his 2010-2015 term. <\/p>\n
Mujica, now 89 and recovering from esophageal cancer, was among the first to cast his ballot after polls opened. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to governing, with the parliamentary structure that we will have, the government will be forced to negotiate,\u201d he told reporters as he emerged from his local polling station, praising Uruguay\u2019s robust and level-headed democracy as \u201cno small thing\u201d in Latin America. <\/p>\n
While promising to forge a \u201cnew left\u201d in Uruguay, Orsi plans no dramatic changes. He would rather negotiate any agreement with Beijing through Mercosur. He proposes tax incentives to lure investment and social security reforms that would lower the retirement age but fall short of a radical overhaul sought by Uruguay\u2019s unions. <\/p>\n
The contentious plebiscite on whether to boost pension payouts failed to pass in October, with Uruguayans rejecting generous pensions in favor of fiscal constraint. <\/p>\n
Both candidates pledged full cooperation with each other if elected. <\/p>\n
\u201cI want (Orsi) to know that my idea is to form a government of national unity,\u201d Delgado told reporters after casting his vote and greeting supporters in the capital\u2019s upscale Pocitos neighborhood. He said that if he won, he and Orsi would \u201chave some (yerba) mate,\u201d the traditional herbal drink beloved by Uruguayans, together on Monday. <\/p>\n
Orsi similarly pledged a smooth and respectful transition of power in the event of his victory, describing Sunday\u2019s democratic exercise as \u201can incredible experience\u201d as he voted in Canelones, the sprawling town of beaches and cattle ranches just north of Montevideo where he served as mayor for a decade. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe essence of politics is agreements,\u201d he said. \u201cYou never end up completely satisfied.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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