Uruguayan Election Update: Pepe Mujica Casts His Vote
Former President Jose Mujica casts his vote in Uruguay, Nov. 24, 2024. X/ @ElPosteoDiario
November 24, 2024 Hour: 8:35 am
He asked the candidates for policies favorable to citizens and the ability to generate a favorable climate for negotiation.
On Sunday, 2.7 million Uruguayans will participate in the second round of the presidential elections, where candidates Alvaro Delgado (National Party) and Yamandu Orsi (Broad Front) are competing. Among the citizens who voted earlier was former President Pepe Mujica, the historical leader of the Uruguayan left.
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As he entered the electoral hall, he described the current relationship between Uruguay and Argentina as “difficult,” alluding to the effects of the international attitudes displayed by far-right Argentine President Javier Milei.
“Argentina belongs to the Argentines. It is not a problem in which we have to get involved. It is a country that we are not going to change. However… we have to try to have the best relationship we can, no matter what government is in power,” Mujica insisted, asking the presidential candidates for policies favorable to citizens and the ability to generate a favorable climate for negotiation.
“The greatest difficulty is in the budget. In the history of the last 40 years of democracy, salaries increased by 100 percent. The Coalition parties governed for 25 years and raised wages by 12 percent. The Broad Front governed for 15 years and raised wages by 87 percent. That’s where the problem comes in: how we distribute,” Mujica stressed.
The former guerrilla also referred to the future of Uruguay and said that he is worried about the fate of young people because a different world is coming.
“A world of intelligence is coming… We have to develop ourselves to have the resources so that our grandchildren are up to what is coming. You have to think about the future,” he said when talking to journalists.
On Sunday, the voting will take place from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM local time, and by around 9:30 PM, consulting firms are expected to present their first projections. In the first round, held on October 27, Orsi secured 43.9 percent of the votes, far ahead of Alvaro Delgado, who garnered 26.7 percent of the ballots.
However, the latest polls revealed a very close race between the opposition Broad Front candidate and the candidate from the ruling coalition, which includes the Colorado Party, Open Cabildo, the Independent Party, and the Constitutional Environmentalist Party.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: TN – EFE
