Sun Nov 24 12:59:08 UTC 2024: ## Uruguay Heads to the Polls in Tight Presidential Runoff

**Montevideo, Uruguay** – Uruguayans are casting their ballots in a closely contested presidential runoff election, choosing between leftist candidate Yamandu Orsi and conservative Alvaro Delgado. The election pits the leftist Frente Amplio (Broad Front), backed by former President José “Pepe” Mujica, against the ruling National Party, a member of the center-right Republican Coalition.

Polls opened at 8 am local time and are expected to close at 7:30 pm, with initial results anticipated two hours later. The election is considered incredibly tight, with recent polls suggesting a margin of less than 25,000 votes separating the two frontrunners in the nation of 3.4 million.

Orsi, representing the Frente Amplio, secured 43.9% of the vote in the first round, while Delgado, backed by outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou’s coalition, received 26.8%. Delgado benefits from the combined support of the National and Colorado parties, which together garnered nearly 42% of the first-round vote.

Despite the close race, Uruguay’s political climate is comparatively less tense than in other Latin American nations like Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. While President Lacalle Pou enjoyed a 50% approval rating, his government faced criticism over its handling of crime, a key issue in the campaign.

Orsi, campaigning on a “modern left” platform, has emphasized a policy approach that avoids drastic changes. Delgado, meanwhile, is urging voters to “re-elect a good government,” leveraging President Lacalle Pou’s popularity. Neither candidate has made significant new policy pledges in the final weeks of the campaign.

The outcome will also determine whether Uruguay deviates from a global trend of incumbent parties losing vote share amidst economic hardship. Inflation and the cost of living have impacted voters worldwide, contributing to electoral losses for governments in various countries, including the UK, Japan, and the US. Both Orsi and Delgado are vying for the support of voters who cast ballots for smaller parties or abstained in the first round. The roughly 8 percent of the electorate who backed other parties in the first round remains a key undecided bloc, the impact of which could decide the outcome.

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