By Lucinda Elliott
MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) – In Uruguay’s capital Montevideo and round this South American nation of three.4 million folks, voters are gearing up for Sunday’s election, overshadowed by a plebiscite on pensions the identical day and fears over crime.
Uruguayans will vote for the subsequent president, vp and members of parliament, with polls exhibiting a possible runoff wanted. If no presidential candidate receives over 50% of the vote on Sunday, a second spherical will likely be held on Nov. 24.
Poll stations open on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. (1030 GMT) with outcomes anticipated after 9:30 p.m. domestically. Polling exhibits Broad Entrance center-left candidate Yamandu Orsi within the lead for president, with ruling conservative coalition candidate Alvaro Delgado second.
Uruguay’s race between two centrist candidates bucks a Latin America pattern of huge political shifts. Argentina voted in a third-place outsider final yr, libertarian President Javier Milei and Mexico’s first feminine President, Claudia Sheinbaum, took workplace in October.
“This country needs an overall change,” Vivian Sanabria, 64, informed Reuters, including she deliberate to vote for Orsi, citing points similar to schooling, assist for the aged and healthcare.
Orsi, a 57-year-old former mayor, has pledged to concentrate on financial progress and preserve taxes down with a average “modern-left” platform. His rival, 55-year-old Delgado, comes from throughout the present authorities, providing stability.
“I am going to vote for Alvaro Delgado. He’s the one that gives me the most confidence,” stated Martin Mendez, 40. “He’ll keep getting the good results this government has had.”
However continuity is a doubled-edged sword. Voters have been usually proud of the economic system beneath the present conservative authorities, regardless of fiscal deficits that want addressing. However crime and fears about drug gangs have turn out to be key voter considerations.
“We fear for our teenage children when they leave early in the morning to take the bus to high school,” stated 37-year-old Sol Gonzalez who stated she usually hears gunfire at night time.
Grisly turf battles between small drug-dealing clans on the town’s outskirts and violent crimes have shocked the comparatively tranquil nation unaccustomed to gang violence.
Delgado and Orsi additionally have to fend off third-place social media-savvy challenger Andres Ojeda, 40. If Delgado makes the second spherical, Ojeda has pledged to again him, making for a possible tight run-off.
PENSION REFERENDUM
Hanging over the vote is a plebiscite, additionally on Sunday, to overtake Uruguay’s $22.5-billion personal pension system, reducing retirement age to 60 and boosting payouts. The divisive plan is rattling politicians and buyers who say it might have far-reaching implications for the small $77-billion economic system that depends on farm exports.
Whereas economists and the primary candidates warn it might cripple the state’s funds and imply larger taxes, many Uruguayans, squeezed by excessive costs, assist retiring earlier.
Within the inner-city Montevideo neighborhood of Larranaga, canteen cook dinner Camilo Rodriguez, 47, anxious about his retirement as he ready breaded beef cuts, generally known as milanesas, for lunchtime clients.
Rodriguez was nonetheless debating his decide for president, however stated he was able to solid his poll in favor of the pension reform, hoping to reverse “undignified” monetary circumstances for older Uruguayans.
“You need serious creativity to imagine how you’ll live off a pension in the future,” stated Rodriguez. Retirees obtain round $450 (18,840 pesos) at least month-to-month state pension and the reform would offer extra beneficiant payouts, he added.
Polls recommend assist for the measure has fallen barely. In October, 47% stated they deliberate to again the measure, down from 53% in September, information from pollster Factum present. The plebiscite wants a easy majority to cross and is binding.
There’s additionally a plebiscite on permitting nighttime police raids on properties.
Uruguay’s rising ranges of violence are fueled by altering cocaine smuggling routes and the governing conservative coalition is struggling to defend its safety report.
“The security issue is not really working, many promises haven’t been met,” stated Maria del Carmen Cotelo, 66, signaling she would vote for change. “We have to move on.”
