Uruguay’s presidential front-runners to face off in second round of voting

The leading contenders in Uruguay’s presidential election said voters in the small South American nation had sent the race to a run-off in November.

An early count of the general elections showed Uruguay’s moderate leftist alliance leading over the conservative governing coalition with more than 60% ballots tallied.

The leftist former mayor, Yamandu Orsi, and the ruling party candidate, Alvaro Delgado, told crowds of cheering supporters after midnight that they would face off in a second round of voting on November 24.

Uruguayans will decide whether to return the long-dominant centre-left coalition to power or continue the mandate of centre-right President Luis Lacalle Pou.

Electoral officials reported a turnout of 89% of 2.7 million eligible voters in Uruguay, long considered a model democracy and bastion of stability where voting in presidential and congressional contests is compulsory.

While in neighbouring Brazil and Argentina, voters recently vented their rage at the status quo, Uruguay’s electorate remains largely satisfied with Lacalle Pou ‘s tenure. The president, barred from running for a second consecutive term, leaves office with a 50% approval rating.

The electoral contest has largely focused on the rise in homicides and robberies, with the governing coalition advocating a tough-on-crime approach and the liberal coalition seeking to increase the state’s role in security matters.

Voters are also concerned about the one in five Uruguayan children living in poverty and the low rate of high school graduations.

“It was a presidential campaign far removed from the people that did not achieve the levels of engagement that Uruguay historically has,” said Montevideo-based political analyst Julian Kanarek.