Crime, child poverty and an aging population are top issues as voters in one of Latin America’s most stable democracies head to the polls on Sunday.
The small South American nation of Uruguay will hold elections on Sunday to choose a new president at a time when it is a model of political and economic stability in Latin America.
The 3.4 million people who make up Uruguay’s population may disagree on key issues, but civility and a focus largely on policy, not personal attacks, make Uruguay’s election stand in stark contrast to those in other countries, particularly in the United States.
Because of constitutional term limits, the current president, Luis Lacalle Pou, 51, cannot run for a second consecutive term.
But the result will determine whether his conservative coalition retains control of the presidency or whether a moderate leftist alliance, which legalized marijuana and ramped up green energy production when it last governed from 2005 to 2020, will return to power.
A win for the opposition would probably put a prospective trade deal with China on hold. Its candidate, Yamandú Orsi, has said that he prefers to negotiate with Beijing through Mercosur, an alliance of South American countries.
Whoever wins will have to grapple with challenges posed by an aging population, widespread child poverty and concerns over violent crime, as drug gangs have made inroads into what has traditionally been one of South America’s most peaceful countries.
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