Uruguay's presidential runoff will be tight. But with rivals in agreement, it's no nail-biter

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay -- MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguay's statesmanlike election opened a monthlong model connected Monday during which nan starring center-left and center-right coalitions will spell all-out to propulsion much voters into their camps up of a heated runoff.

The title is expected to beryllium tight but nan stakes are debased successful this prosperous South American federation wherever front-runners broadly stock a statement connected continuing nan business-friendly policies of existent President Luis Lacalle Pou and ramping up efforts to tackle crime.

“Almost thing changes,” publication Monday’s lead editorial successful nan play Uruguayan newspaper Busqueda.

Voters connected Sunday pushed Uruguay's mean left-wing conjugation 17 points up of nan governing blimpish campaigner but not capable to debar a 2nd information of voting connected Nov. 24.

Uruguayans soundly rejected 2 law referendums, including a arguable pension overhaul connection that would person lowered nan status property successful defiance of demographic trends and eliminated backstage pension schemes successful favour of a nationalist exemplary that analysts warned would wreak fiscal havoc.

In stark opposition to caller elections successful Uruguay's bigger, much polarized neighbors, Argentina and Brazil, nan candidates ended their post-election events pinch speeches successful praise of nan nation's singular civility.

“Beyond our ranks, fto each our compatriots cognize that we, arsenic democrats of each party, will take sides nan patient and respectful electoral title that we worth truthful overmuch and advocator for connected a world level,” said Yamandú Orsi, a two-time agrarian politician and erstwhile history coach pinch working-class roots who represented nan Broad Front, a conjugation of center-left and leftist parties that ran Uruguay from 2005-2020.

During that time, Uruguay legalized abortion, cheery matrimony and marijuana, becoming 1 of Latin America's astir socially wide nations.

With astir each nan ballots counted connected Monday, results showed nan Broad Front taking 43.9% of votes. That's little than nan confederation anticipated, mounting up a tight runoff that reflects blimpish President Lacalle Pou's precocious support ratings and wide elector ignorant aft lackluster campaigns. Orsi has sought to reassure voters that he doesn't scheme immoderate benignant of extremist change.

The governing party's candidate, Álvaro Delgado, besides played up Uruguay's location estimation arsenic a paragon of stableness successful his predetermination nighttime speech. Facing crowds of supporters arsenic nan results trickled successful precocious Sunday, nan erstwhile congressman and elder adjutant to Lacalle Pou, Delgado expressed respect for his challenger.

“We person that beautiful point successful Uruguay, tolerance,” Delgado said successful what he called “a typical greeting to Yamandú Orsi and each of nan activists of nan Broad Front.”

With ballot counting almost complete early Monday, Delgado had clinched 26.8% of nan vote. Andres Ojeda, a young media-savvy campaigner whose improbable bid drew a astonishing 16% of nan vote, has pledged to backmost Delgado.

“The equilibrium of powerfulness wrong nan conjugation has changed,” Ojeda said, ditching his earlier disdain for what he called Uruguay's “old politics” to proclaim unity pinch nan governing National Party. “Today, we are nan co-government of nan Uruguay of nan future.”

The result group nan shape for a astir four-week conflict betwixt nan front-runners, upping nan ante for candidate-voter outreach that has truthful acold grounded to animate nan electorate successful stressing governmental continuity.

Uruguayan voters besides filled Parliament connected Sunday, giving nan left-wing conjugation a flimsy mostly successful nan Senate pinch 16 retired of 30 seats. Neither broadside secured a mostly successful nan little house.

Voting successful nan statesmanlike and legislature contests is compulsory successful nan federation of 3.5 million, and nan country's turnout complaint topped 89% connected Sunday.

But nan ample number of voters who near their ballot blank signaled that moreover if Uruguay's bland run play suggested nan nation's quiet occurrence arsenic 1 of Latin America's strongest democracies, it besides near voters ambivalent and weary.

Some, however, wanted to support things that way.

“For outsiders, it whitethorn look strange, but for america it's normal," thoroughfare vendor Luis Alberto said of his country's temperate authorities progressively uncommon successful nan region. “We for illustration to do everything calmly, we don’t for illustration abrupt changes aliases extremes.”

___

DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina