Polls close in Uruguay’s election, with ruling coalition and opposition headed for photo finish

Depending connected however choky the ballot turns retired to be, electoral officials whitethorn not telephone the contention for days, arsenic happened successful the contentious 2019 runoff that brought center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou to bureau and ended 15 years of regularisation by Uruguay’s center-left Broad Front coalition.

Though polls amusement Uruguayans mostly satisfied with the existent government’s performance, complaints astir sluggish growth, persistent convulsive transgression and stagnant wages could adhd Uruguay to a agelong database of countries wherever frustrated voters person punished incumbents successful elections astir the satellite this year.

Uruguayans went to the polls Sunday for a 2nd circular of voting to take their adjacent president, with the blimpish governing enactment and the left-leaning conjugation locked successful a adjacent runoff aft failing to triumph an outright bulk successful past month’s vote.

Pedestrians walk by Uruguay’s nationalist emblem and governmental enactment banners for merchantability connected the time of the statesmanlike run-off predetermination successful Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.

The staid predetermination has turned into a hard-fought contention betwixt Álvaro Delgado, the incumbent party’s candidate, and Yamandú Orsi from the Broad Front, a conjugation of leftist and center-left parties that governed for 15 years until the 2019 triumph of center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou.

The Broad Front oversaw the legalization of abortion, same-sex matrimony and the merchantability of marijuana successful the tiny South American federation of 3.4 cardinal people.Orsi’s Broad Front took 44% of the ballot portion Delgado’s National Party won 27% successful the archetypal circular of voting October. 27. But different blimpish parties that marque up the authorities conjugation — successful particular, the Colorado Party — notched 20% of the ballot collectively, capable to springiness Delgado an borderline implicit his challenger.

Congress ended up evenly divided successful the October vote. Most polls person shown a virtual necktie betwixt Delgado and Orsi, with astir 10% of Uruguayan voters undecided adjacent astatine this precocious stage. Many said they believed turnout would beryllium debased if voting weren’t compulsory successful the country.“Neither campaigner convinced maine and I consciousness that determination are galore successful my aforesaid situation,” said Vanesa Gelezoglo, 31, successful the capital, Montevideo, adding she would marque up her caput astatine “the past minute.”

Analysts accidental the candidates’ lackluster campaigns and wide statement connected cardinal issues person generated bonzer indecision and apathy successful an predetermination dominated by discussions astir societal spending and concerns implicit income inequality but mostly escaped of the anti-establishment rage that has vaulted populist outsiders to powerfulness elsewhere.

“The question of whether Frente Amplio (the Broad Front) raises taxes is not an existential question, dissimilar what we saw successful the US with Trump and Kamala framing each different arsenic threats to democracy,” said Nicolás Saldías, a Latin America and Caribbean elder expert for the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. “That doesn’t beryllium successful Uruguay.”

Both candidates are besides appealing to elector angst implicit a surge successful convulsive transgression that has shaken a federation agelong regarded arsenic 1 of the region’s safest, with Delgado promising tough-on-crime policies and Orsi advocating a much community-oriented approach.

Delgado, 55, a agrarian veterinarian with a agelong vocation successful the National Party, campaigned connected a vow to proceed the bequest of existent President Lacalle Pou — successful immoderate ways making the predetermination into a referendum connected his leadership.

He campaigned nether the slogan “re-elect a bully government.”While a drawstring of corruption scandals rattled Lacalle Pou’s authorities past year, the president — who constitutionally cannot tally for a 2nd consecutive word — present enjoys precocious support ratings and a beardown system expected to turn 3.2% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Inflation has besides eased successful caller months, boosting his coalition.

Delgado served astir precocious arsenic Secretary of the Presidency for Lacalle Pou and promises to prosecute his predecessor’s pro-business policies. He would proceed pushing for a commercialized woody with China that has raised hackles successful Mercosur, an confederation of South American countries promoting determination commerce. “We person to springiness the authorities conjugation a accidental to consolidate its proposals,” said Ramiro Pérez, a thoroughfare vendor voting for Delgado connected Sunday.

Yeni Varone, a nurse, casts her ballot successful the statesmanlike run-off predetermination successful Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)

Orsi, 57, a erstwhile past teacher and two-time politician from a working-class background, is wide seen arsenic the governmental heir to iconic erstwhile President José “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-Marxist guerilla who raised Uruguay’s planetary illustration arsenic 1 of the region’s astir socially wide and environmentally sustainable nations during his 2010-2015 term. “He’s my candidate, not lone for my involvement but besides for my children’s,” Yeny Varone, a nurse, said of Orsi.

“In the aboriginal they’ll person amended moving conditions, wellness and salaries.”Mujica, present 89 and recovering from esophageal cancer, was among the archetypal to formed his ballot aft polls opened. “Uruguay is simply a tiny country, but it has earned designation for being stable, for having a citizenry that respects organization formalities,” helium told reporters from his section polling station. “This is nary tiny feat.”

While promising to forge a “new left” successful Uruguay, Orsi plans nary melodramatic changes. He proposes taxation incentives to lure concern and societal information reforms that would little the status property but autumn abbreviated of a extremist overhaul sought by Uruguay’s unions.

The contentious plebiscite connected whether to boost pension payouts failed to walk successful October, with Uruguayans rejecting generous pensions successful favour of fiscal constraint.Both candidates pledged afloat practice with each different if elected. “I privation (Orsi) to cognize that my thought is to signifier a authorities of nationalist unity,” Delgado told reporters aft casting his ballot successful the capital’s upscale Pocitos neighborhood. He said that if helium won, helium and Orsi would chat connected Monday implicit immoderate yerba mate, the accepted herbal portion beloved by Uruguayans.

Orsi likewise pledged a creaseless and respectful modulation of power, describing Sunday’s antiauthoritarian workout arsenic “an unthinkable experience” arsenic helium voted successful Canelones, the sprawling municipality of beaches and cattle ranches conscionable northbound of Montevideo wherever helium served arsenic politician for a decade.“The essence of authorities is agreements,” helium said. “You ne'er extremity up wholly satisfied.