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LATIN AMERICA |
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Uruguayan
President To Be Decided In Run-Off
At The End of November
MONTEVIDEO -
A run off at the end of November was the
result of Sunday’s presidential election in
Uruguay since no candidate managed 50% plus
one of the votes, as had been anticipated by
most pollsters.
The ruling coalition candidate Jose Pepe
Mujica and runner up Luis Alberto Lacalle,
Cuqui, still have a month of intense
campaigning ahead of them until November
28th.
Estimates at mid night Sunday indicate that
the Broad Front and incumbent candidate
Mujica garnered between 47 and 49% of the
vote; the National party 30/32%; the junior
opposition Colorado party 16/18% and the
Independents 2/3%.
Following on these results the run off could
prove even closer and more nerve wrecking
than Sunday’s results.
“The voters are demanding from us a further
effort, that is to participate in a second
round”, said Mujica on learning the first
results of Sunday’s election. However the
incumbent candidate said that a projection
of the results could be indicating that “the
coalition could very well again confirm a
parliamentary majority”.
“We’re accustomed to electoral disputes, so
we are ready for the second round”, said
runner up Lacalle from the headquarters of
his National party.
“We are going to ask from our militants a
further effort because that is what the
Uruguayan people have asked for”, added
Mujica before a huge crowd that had gathered
to celebrate what at the beginning seemed a
first round victory.
“I’m sure all Uruguayans are going to show
that wonderful tolerance spirit we’ve seen
today and during the weeks of campaigning”,
underlined Mujica.
Uruguay’s Minister of Interior reported no
incidents during Election day and
international observers praised the
organizations of the polls and democratic
spirit of voters that queued naturally at
the booths for their turn.
Even when voting in Uruguay is compulsory,
turnout was above 90%.
Pollsters pointed out that both the Broad
Front and the National party lost votes
compared to five years ago while the
Colorado party almost doubled its support.
“Apparently the Colorados have managed to
renew and are more in harmony with a more
modern and tolerant Uruguay”, said Oscar
Bottinelli from pollster Factum.
“The National Party has been unable to
attract other sectors of voters, which the
Colorado party effectively managed”, added
Bottinelli.
He also pointed out the mismatch between
“approval ratings for outgoing President
Tabare Vazquez, in the sixty points, and the
Sunday vote”.
A big surprise on Sunday, which was poorly
anticipated by the opinion polls, were the
results of the two referendums, one
rejecting an amnesty bill for military and
police personnel presumably involved in
human rights abuses during the military
dictatorship (1973/1985) , and another
granting consular vote to Uruguayans living
overseas.
Both are controversial issues for Uruguayan
public opinion.
The “amnesty bill” which is really the
Uruguayan state decision’s to drop claims
against human rights abuses (denial of
prosecution) was approved in 1986 to match a
1985 amnesty granted to urban guerrillas and
other groups which appealed to violence to
bring down the government. The 1986 bill was
ratified in 1989 by a referendum.
As to the consular vote, which could benefit
up to 10% of the Uruguayan population living
overseas is also controversial since a
majority feel it is not fair for those
overseas to decide on affairs directly
influencing residents.
Although many are political refuges from the
time of the dictatorship, many more are
“economic refuges”, who migrated looking for
better living conditions.
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