{"id":119196,"date":"2024-10-28T04:53:49","date_gmt":"2024-10-27T21:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=119196"},"modified":"2024-10-28T04:53:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-27T21:53:49","slug":"uruguay-election-polls-open-in-a-vote-free-of-political-hostility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=119196","title":{"rendered":"Uruguay election: Polls open in a vote free of political hostility"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) \u2014 Voters in the <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/uruguay\">small South American nation of Uruguay<\/a><\/span> were choosing a new president Sunday in a race between two moderates that defies regional trends of bitter division and democratic erosion.<\/p>\n<p>The contest between Uruguay\u2019s incumbent conservative coalition and its challenger, a center-left alliance, got underway with some 2.7 million eligible voters also casting ballots for Parliament and a contentious referendum on overhauling the social security system. <\/p>\n<p>The pension vote \u2014 which would expand the fiscal deficit in one of Latin America\u2019s wealthiest countries \u2014 has consumed more media attention in recent weeks than other top campaign issues, such as child poverty, education and security. <\/p>\n<p>With the candidates in broad agreement over many issues, no one expects the outcome of the presidential vote to herald drastic change in this nation of 3.4 million people, long considered a model democracy and bastion of stability in the region. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a way, Uruguay has been boring, but boring in this sense is very good,\u201d said Juan Cruz D\u00edaz, a political analyst who runs the Cefeidas consultancy group in Buenos Aires. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen so many dramatic changes in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and suddenly we face elections in Uruguay in which there is a general consensus, there\u2019s stability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While in neighboring Brazil and Argentina, voters recently vented their rage at the status quo, Uruguay\u2019s electorate remains largely satisfied with the government\u2019s business-friendly policies and the economy\u2019s steady growth. <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/luis-lacalle-pou\/\">The current center-right president, Luis Lacalle Pou<\/a><\/span>, enjoys a 50% approval rating. <\/p>\n<div class=\"Infobox\" data-module=\"\" data-gtm-region=\"Over 50 countries go to the polls in 2024 The year will test even the most robust democracies. Read more on what's to come here. Take a look at the 25 places where a change in leadership could resonate around the world. Keep track of the latest AP elections coverage from around the world here.\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<div class=\"Infobox-items RichTextBody\">\n<p><b>Over 50 countries go to the polls in 2024<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The presidential campaigns have played out without the vitriolic insults and personal attacks seen elsewhere, such as the United States, Argentina or Brazil. <\/p>\n<p>The Rambla, a 22-kilometer-long avenue running down the coast of the country\u2019s capital, Montevideo, became a festive gathering spot during the voting day as members of Uruguay\u2019s major conservative and liberal coalitions waved flags and sang songs.<\/p>\n<p>As constitutional term limits bar Lacalle Pou from running for a second consecutive term, the governing party\u2019s candidate is \u00c1lvaro Delgado, 55, a congressman and Lacalle Pou\u2019s former chief of staff, who started his career as a veterinarian. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe voted with joy in a very special election, appreciating this democracy that makes us proud and Uruguay\u2019s spirit of respect and tolerance,\u201d Delgado posted on social media platform X after casting his ballot. <\/p>\n<p>His main challenger is Yamand\u00fa Orsi, 57, a center-left former mayor and history teacher with humble roots from the Frente Amplio (or Broad Front) coalition, which governed from 2005-2020 before Lacalle Pou\u2019s victory. The alliance oversaw the legalization of same-sex marriage. Uruguay became the first country to legalize cannabis for recreational use and developed one of the world\u2019s greenest grids, powered by 98% renewable energy.<\/p>\n<p>The latest polls show Orsi in a comfortable lead at 44%, but not winning outright, which would send the country to a run-off on Nov. 24. <\/p>\n<p>Orsi voted at a school in Canelones, the district of cattle and sheep ranches where he served twice as mayor some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Montevideo. Emerging from the polling station, he expressed pride in his country\u2019s enduring faith in democracy, restored in 1984 after a 12-year dictatorship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUruguay has had the happiness for 40 uninterrupted years &#8230; the happiness that our citizens can elect their leaders,\u201d Orsi said. \u201cIn today\u2019s world, it is a beautiful privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Orsi has benefited from the support of popular former President Jos\u00e9 \u201cPepe\u201d Mujica, the eccentric former guerrilla who helped spearhead Uruguay\u2019s transformation into the continent\u2019s most socially liberal country during his 2010-2015 presidency. <\/p>\n<p>Now 89, Mujica is battling esophageal cancer, but he still managed to cast his ballot in Montevideo on Sunday. Arriving to vote in a wheelchair, he was quickly swarmed by reporters. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to support democracy, not because it is perfect, but because humans have not yet invented anything better,\u201d he told journalists after exiting the polling station.<\/p>\n<p>Like Mujica, who lives in a modest farmhouse on the outskirts of Montevideo, Orsi says he wouldn\u2019t live in the presidential palace if elected.<\/p>\n<p>In a distant third is Andr\u00e9s Ojeda, 40, a muscular and media-savvy lawyer who has tried to energize apathetic young voters with splashy campaign videos showing him lifting weights at the gym and describing himself as a classic Capricorn. <\/p>\n<p>He backs the ruling coalition but flaunts an unconventional style that he said draws inspiration from other young charismatic leaders in Latin America wielding social media to amass fans, like El Salvador\u2019s populist Nayib Bukele and <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/javier-milei\/\">Argentina\u2019s radical libertarian Javier Milei<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a lesson to the system,\u201d Ojeda said of his meteoric rise from obscurity while casting his vote. \u201cThe new politics is here to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s role in security matters. <\/p>\n<p>Voters are also concerned about the one in five Uruguayan children living in poverty and the low rate of high school graduations.<\/p>\n<p>But the overlap between political platforms has left much of the Uruguayan electorate indifferent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a presidential campaign far removed from the people that did not achieve the levels of engagement that Uruguay historically has,\u201d said Montevideo-based political analyst Juli\u00e1n Kanarek.<\/p>\n<p>More divisive than the presidential race is the constitutional referendum that would overhaul Uruguay\u2019s social security system. <\/p>\n<p>If approved by more than 50% of voters, the $23 billion scheme backed by the country\u2019s powerful unions would lower the retirement age, boost payouts and transfer Uruguayans\u2019 privately managed savings to a government-run trust. <\/p>\n<p>Both leading candidates have spoken out against the proposal, which has already sent tremors through global markets. Shrugging off the fiscal consequences, supporters say it would redistribute Uruguay\u2019s resources more fairly in one of the region\u2019s most expensive countries where the average minimum pension stands around $450 a month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about defending our rights, because now I am about to retire,\u201d Amara De Los Santos, 61, said from a polling station after voting \u201cyes\u201d on the referendum.<\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<p>DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>\n  window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n              appId : '870613919693099',\n          xfbml : true,\n          version : 'v2.9'\n      });\n  };\n  (function(d, s, id){\n     var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n     if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}\n     js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n     js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n     fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n   }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/uruguay-election-politics-leftwing-president-rightwing-86984f87bb0607d9c061c293ec11fe71\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) \u2014 Voters in the small South American nation of Uruguay were choosing a new president Sunday in a race between two moderates that defies regional trends of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=119196\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=119196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119196\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=119196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=119196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=119196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}