- Title: URUGUAY-ELECTION/UPDATE Uruguay's presidential election heads to a runoff
- Date: 27th October 2014
- Summary: VARIOUS OF COMPUTER SCREEN SHOWING ELECTORAL COURT WEBSITE WITH ACTUAL VOTE TALLY
- Embargoed: 11th November 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Uruguay
- Country: Uruguay
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6HEY8BS72116A6WC78SGW5O88
- Story Text: The Uruguayan presidential election will go to a runoff vote next month between leftist ruling coalition candidate Tabare Vazquez, who was president from 2005 to 2010, and center-right candidate Luis Lacalle Pou, according to the electoral court.
While Broad Front candidate Vazquez led the count, electoral court president Jose Arocena told reporters he fell short of a first-round victory.
"What we know today is that it's very clear that there will be a second round. That's evident. There will be a second round for the presidency of the republic and we can affirm that because the differences between the candidates are very big. Luis Lacalle Pou and Tabare Vazquez will be the two candidates on the ballot," he said.
Exit polls showed Vazquez winning 44-46 percent of the vote compared with 31-33 percent for Lacalle Pou of the National Party.
Official votes came in slowly but, with about 28 percent counted, Vazquez had 42.2 percent support, against 34.7 percent for Lacalle Pou.
Voters also elected lawmakers on Sunday but neither the Broad Front nor the National Party was expected to win a majority in Congress.
"There could be a party that gets very close to 50 percent but only receives 49. At 49, that party wouldn't have a parliamentary majority and it's very probably that at that moment-- and I won't say absolutely anything about what's going to happen before the second count because until then we don't have the data to discuss this-- but it's probable that the results are so close that, in the end, there will be seats that are being very disputed," Arocena added.
Without a parliamentary majority, the next president will face a tougher time passing laws than outgoing President Jose Mujica.
Voter Martin Arn thought it would spur debate.
"I don't think there will be a parliamentary majority and that's good because it increases the possibilities for all of them to argue over the five years and not have more of the same," he said.
Uruguay's current president has continued the model of government originally introduced by Vazquez, who brought the Broad Front to power in 2005. The 74-year-old's blend of pro-market economic policies and social welfare measures that slashed poverty rates won broad support but he was constitutionally barred from a second consecutive term.
But others have become disenchanted with the scale of Mujica's social reforms, including the legalization of abortion, gay marriage and marijuana production and distribution.
Lacalle Pou emerged as a strong candidate after an unexpected victory in his party's primaries, and the 41-year-old campaigned on a platform of change.
Voter Gaston Roca said he thought Lacalle Pou would garner more votes in the first round.
"Pretty good, everything was pretty peaceful too, really, very organized, perfect. The result surprised me a fair amount, I thought that (National Party candidate Luis Lacalle) Pou was going to do a bit better," he said.
Colorado Party candidate Pedro Bordaberry, the son of former dictator Juan Maria Bordaberry who led the country in the 1970s, was expected to win about 14 percent and he quickly endorsed Lacalle Pou, meaning the runoff election on November 30 could be close.
Voter Angel Rodriguez said it was just a matter of patience.
"Pretty calm really, pretty calm. The truth is that I expected it to be different but we have to wait for the ballot count now, right?" he said.
Uruguay's $55 billion economy has grown an average 5.7 percent annually since 2005. The government forecasts lower growth of 3 percent this year, although that is still better than in neighbouring giants Argentina and Brazil.
The number of Uruguayans living in poverty has fallen sharply to 11.5 percent from more than a third in 2006.
Voter Richard Granda said he thought Uruguayans would bring Vazquez back to power but added that he was surprised that a bill to lower the age at which the state could charge youths with serious crimes from 18 to 16 appeared to be headed for clear defeat.
"What I think is going to happen is that the Broad Front will continue in the government. I thought it was calm, as my friend said, but what I didn't understand very well was the matter (bill) about the decrease in age (bill that would lower age from 18 to 16 in which the state can charge youths with serious crimes such as murder). I thought that would have a different result. I mean, it was very different to what I thought and it didn't matter what my vote was," he said.
While financial markets believe the Broad Front's economic policies are sound, some analysts say Lacalle Pou is more likely to rein in an above-target fiscal deficit and an inflation rate almost in double digits.
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