Uruguay's once-dull election has become dead heat in presidential runoff 

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — 

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.

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 small, laid-back 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 Oct. 27. But the 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 this clip around.

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.

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 increasing 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 U.S. 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 and astir stable. Delgado promises tough-on-crime policies and a caller maximum-security situation portion Orsi advocates a community-oriented attack to transgression prevention.

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 concisely 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 property connected with his predecessor's pro-business, market-friendly policies. He would proceed pursuing a prospective commercialized woody with China that has raised hackles successful Mercosur, an confederation of South American countries that promotes determination commerce.

Orsi, 57, a erstwhile past teacher and two-time politician from a working-class background, is wide seen arsenic an heir to iconic erstwhile President José “Pepe” Mujica, a erstwhile Marxist guerilla who boosted Uruguay's illustration arsenic 1 of the region's astir socially wide and environmentally sustainable nations during his 2010-2015 term.

Mujica, present 89 and recovering from esophageal cancer, was among the archetypal to formed his ballot aft polls opened.

“When it comes to governing, with the parliamentary operation that we volition have, the authorities volition beryllium forced to negotiate,” helium told reporters arsenic helium emerged from his section polling station, praising Uruguay's robust and level-headed ideology arsenic "no tiny thing" successful Latin America.

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 subordinate the demographic inclination successful lowering 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.

“This is simply a mean election, which is rare,” said Saldías. “It's indicative of Uruguay’s spot arsenic a democracy.”