MONTEVIDEO – Uruguayans cast ballots in a presidential election yesterday pitting a former guerrilla leader against a conservative ex-president, with both men vowing to maintain market-friendly policies in one of South America’s most stable economies.
Polls show José Mujica (74), a plain-talking senator who fought with the Tupamaros movement during the 1960s and early 1970s, easily finishing first but just short of an outright majority to avoid a run-off.
His main rival is Luis Lacalle, a former president who held office from 1990 to 1995 and has sought to capitalise on some voter resistance to Mr Mujica’s militant past.
The winner will replace president Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguay’s first socialist leader, who leaves office highly popular after five years of economic expansion in the small, beef-exporting country between Brazil and Argentina.
Mr Mujica is competing for the presidency as part of the ruling party Broad Front coalition, a grouping of socialists and other leftist parties that came to power four years ago in South America’s regionwide shift to the left.
Some Uruguayan business leaders worry Mr Mujica could veer Uruguay more sharply to the left even though he has pledged to stay on a free-market track.
Mr Mujica has sought to temper the concerns about his days as a guerrilla. “We’re all in the same boat,” he said after voting.
Uruguay, like Chile and Brazil, has become a model of stability and moderate leftism in Latin America, as other countries have elected more radical leaders.
During Uruguay’s 1975 to 1983 military dictatorship, Mr Mujica was held in solitary confinement in a deep well for years for his activities with the Tupamaros, who carried out political kidnappings and robberies. He has not spoken publicly about the extent of his role.
His sometimes blunt off-the-cuff comments have raised questions about his ability to lead the country. During the campaign, Mr Mujica made headlines in neighbouring Argentina after he called Argentines “hysterical” and “stupid” in interviews.
Hoping to reach out to the business community, Mr Mujica turned to Mr Vazquez’s former economy minister as his vice-presidential running mate. Danilo Astori won investor praise for his guidance of the largely agricultural-based economy, and Mr Mujica has said he wants Mr Astori to play a key role in shaping economic policy.
Mr Lacalle (68), a lawyer, has engineered a comeback 14 years after leaving office amid corruption accusations involving several of his top aides. He has sought to reach out to moderate voters, pledging not to launch a privatisation campaign and maintain a government role in the economy.
Mr Lacalle, lagging some 15 percentage point in the polls, has his eyes on a possible run-off race in November, where he can try to win over voters whose first-round support might go to third-place candidate Pedro Bordaberry from the conservative Colorado Party. – (Reuters)