Uruguayan general election, 2009
Encyclopedia
General elections for President and Parliament took place in Uruguay
on 25 October and 29 November 2009. In parliamentary election results, the Broad Front
(left-wing coalition) emerged the winner, electing 16 senators
and 50 deputies, while the National Party
elected 9 senators and 30 deputies, the Colorado Party
5 Senators and 17 Deputies, and the Independent Party 2 deputies.
In the presidential contest, the first round of voting produced no majority winner, with José Mujica
of the incumbent Broad Front receiving 48% of the vote and Luis Alberto Lacalle
of the National Party 29%. In the runoff
, Mujica handily defeated Lacalle to win the presidency.
Two ballot referendums failed. One would have revoked a previously granted amnesty
and the other would have permitted absentee ballots.
were held on 28 June 2009. Three parties had several contenders:
. The clear favorites were José Mujica and Luis Alberto Lacalle. Although they held very different political philosophies that tended to polarize the electorate, both struggled to win the centre of the political spectrum.
The Uruguayan constitution
requires a presidential candidate to obtain at least 50% of the vote plus one. As Mujica received 48% of the initial vote, a run-off was held on 29 November. In the runoff
round, Mujica easily defeated Lacalle, 53% to 43%, to win the Presidency.
Analysts indicated that Mujica won largely because of the popularity of the Broad Front and incumbent President Tabaré Vázquez
's pro-business policies that strengthened the country's economy. After taking office in 2005, Vazquez cut the unemployment rate from 12.3 to 7.3 percent, encouraged trade and foreign investment, increased wages and social spending, and boosted the central bank reserves and the country's credit rating.
with 16 senators (plus Danilo Astori
, later elected vice-president and thus president of the General Assembly) out of a total of 30 and 50 deputies out of a total of 99. The National Party came in second with 9 senators and 30 deputies. Both parties lost votes and legislative seats in comparison with 2004. The historically dominant Colorado made gains and increased its representation to 5 senators and 17 deputies. Finally, the Independent Party did not achieve its main goal of winning a seat in the Senate, but obtained 2 seats in the lower chamber.
Pedro Bordaberry
led the Colorado Party to a notable electoral recovery, practically doubling its votes cast in 2004. The Independent Party, with candidates Pablo Mieres and Iván Posada, gained an additional seat in the Chamber of Deputies. Popular Assembly, a small, new extreme left party, did not win much support.
, Alberto Demicheli
, Aparicio Méndez
, and Gregorio Álvarez. The other was to enable mail-in votes by citizens living outside Uruguay. Both referenda failed, the first obtaining 47.3% of votes and the second only 36.9%
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
on 25 October and 29 November 2009. In parliamentary election results, the Broad Front
Broad Front (Uruguay)
The Broad Front is a Uruguayan left-wing coalition of political parties. It is led by Jorge Brovetto. Frente Amplio has close ties with PIT-CNT trade union and the cooperative housing movement.-History:...
(left-wing coalition) emerged the winner, electing 16 senators
Senators
The term Senators can refer to:*The members of a senate*The Ottawa Senators, a National Hockey League ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada...
and 50 deputies, while the National Party
National Party (Uruguay)
The National Party , also known as the White Party , is a major right-wing conservative political party in Uruguay, currently the major opposition party to the ruling Frente Amplio government....
elected 9 senators and 30 deputies, the Colorado Party
Colorado Party (Uruguay)
The Colorado Party is a political party in Uruguay.- Aims :It unites Conservative, Moderate and Social democratic groups. It was the dominant party of government almost without exception during the stabilisation of the Uruguayan republic....
5 Senators and 17 Deputies, and the Independent Party 2 deputies.
In the presidential contest, the first round of voting produced no majority winner, with José Mujica
José Mujica
José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano is a Uruguayan politician and former guerrilla fighter, a member of the Broad Front and current President of Uruguay....
of the incumbent Broad Front receiving 48% of the vote and Luis Alberto Lacalle
Luis Alberto Lacalle
Luis Alberto Lacalle de Herrera is a Uruguayan lawyer and politician who served as President of Uruguay from 1990 to 1995.-Background:His mother, María Hortensia de Herrera de Lacalle, was the daughter of the Blanco political leader Luis Alberto de Herrera, after whom Lacalle was named. Luis...
of the National Party 29%. In the runoff
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
, Mujica handily defeated Lacalle to win the presidency.
Two ballot referendums failed. One would have revoked a previously granted amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
and the other would have permitted absentee ballots.
Primaries
PrimariesPrimary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
were held on 28 June 2009. Three parties had several contenders:
- Broad Front
- José Mujica (Espacio 609, Communist Party of Uruguay (Partido Comunista del Uruguay)Communist Party of UruguayThe Communist Party of Uruguay is a communist political party in Uruguay, created on September 21, 1920. It is a member organisation of the ruling Broad Front.The current PCU secretary-general is ....
, Corriente Acción y Pensamiento Libertad) – winner - Danilo AstoriDanilo AstoriDanilo Astori is a Uruguayan social democratic politician who was the Minister of Economics and Finance of Uruguay from 2005 to 2008...
(Uruguay Assembly (Asamblea Uruguay))Uruguay AssemblyThe Uruguay Assembly is a social-democratic political party in Uruguay. It is a member organisation of the ruling Broad Front. Its leader is the senator and former minister of economy of Uruguay, Danilo Astori....
, Alianza Progresista, Nuevo Espacio (New Space), Socialist Party of Uruguay (Partido Socialista)Socialist Party of UruguayThe Socialist Party of Uruguay is an Uruguayan political party founded in 1910. Its main leader and spokesman was Dr Emilio Frugoni, the most prominent advocate of socialist ideas in Uruguay.... - Marcos Carámbula (Vertiente Artiguista (Artiguistan Slope)Vertiente ArtiguistaThe Vertiente Artiguista is a social-democratic political party in Uruguay led by Joel Parnell....
)
- José Mujica (Espacio 609, Communist Party of Uruguay (Partido Comunista del Uruguay)
- National Party
- Luis Alberto LacalleLuis Alberto LacalleLuis Alberto Lacalle de Herrera is a Uruguayan lawyer and politician who served as President of Uruguay from 1990 to 1995.-Background:His mother, María Hortensia de Herrera de Lacalle, was the daughter of the Blanco political leader Luis Alberto de Herrera, after whom Lacalle was named. Luis...
(Unidad Nacional, Soplan Vientos Nuevos) – winner - Jorge LarrañagaJorge LarrañagaJorge Washington Larrañaga Fraga is a Uruguayan politician. He is a senator and was Intendant of Paysandú . He was the presidential candidate of the National Party in 2004.-Background:...
(Alianza Nacional (National Alliance of Uruguay)National Alliance (Uruguay)The National Alliance is a sector of the National Party .-Leadership:Its leader is Jorge Larrañaga, who ran for President of Uruguay in 2004...
, Civic UnionCivic UnionThe term Civic Union designates many different political parties, both former and modern ones:* Civic Union , from Argentina* Civic Union , from Latvia* Civic Union , from Uruguay* The Civic Union Party, from Perú...
) - Irineu Riet Correa
- Luis Alberto Lacalle
- Colorado Party
- Pedro BordaberryPedro BordaberryJuan Pedro Bordaberry Herrán is a Uruguayan political figure. He is the current President of the Colorado Party-Early life:Bordaberry was educated at The British Schools of Montevideo, gaining fluency in English...
(Vamos Uruguay (Let's Go, Uruguay)) – winner - José Amorín (Batllismo Siglo XXI)
- Luis HierroLuis Hierro- Background :His political roots were in the Department of Treinta y Tres, in the interior of the country.His son Luis Hierro Gambardella became a Minister, Deputy and Senator. His grandson Luis Antonio Hierro López became Vice President of Uruguay in 2000....
(Foro Batllista) - Daniel Lamas
- Pedro Bordaberry
- Independent Party
- Pablo Mieres
- Popular Assembly
- Raúl Rodríguez
General Election
On 25 October 2009 the general election was held, this time with compulsory votingCompulsory voting
Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...
. The clear favorites were José Mujica and Luis Alberto Lacalle. Although they held very different political philosophies that tended to polarize the electorate, both struggled to win the centre of the political spectrum.
The Uruguayan constitution
Constitution of Uruguay
The Constitution of Uruguay is the supreme law of Uruguay. Its first version was written in 1830 and its last amendment was made in 2002. A new amendment is in talks as of April 2007....
requires a presidential candidate to obtain at least 50% of the vote plus one. As Mujica received 48% of the initial vote, a run-off was held on 29 November. In the runoff
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
round, Mujica easily defeated Lacalle, 53% to 43%, to win the Presidency.
Analysts indicated that Mujica won largely because of the popularity of the Broad Front and incumbent President Tabaré Vázquez
Tabaré Vázquez
Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas is a former President of Uruguay. A physician by training, he is a member of the leftist Frente Amplo coalition . Vázquez was elected president on October 31, 2004, took office on March 1, 2005, and relinquished the office on March 1, 2010...
's pro-business policies that strengthened the country's economy. After taking office in 2005, Vazquez cut the unemployment rate from 12.3 to 7.3 percent, encouraged trade and foreign investment, increased wages and social spending, and boosted the central bank reserves and the country's credit rating.
Parliamentary elections
The Broad Front retained a majority in parliamentGeneral Assembly of Uruguay
The General Assembly of Uruguay has two chambers.*the Chamber of Deputies has 99 members, elected for a five year term by proportional representation....
with 16 senators (plus Danilo Astori
Danilo Astori
Danilo Astori is a Uruguayan social democratic politician who was the Minister of Economics and Finance of Uruguay from 2005 to 2008...
, later elected vice-president and thus president of the General Assembly) out of a total of 30 and 50 deputies out of a total of 99. The National Party came in second with 9 senators and 30 deputies. Both parties lost votes and legislative seats in comparison with 2004. The historically dominant Colorado made gains and increased its representation to 5 senators and 17 deputies. Finally, the Independent Party did not achieve its main goal of winning a seat in the Senate, but obtained 2 seats in the lower chamber.
Pedro Bordaberry
Pedro Bordaberry
Juan Pedro Bordaberry Herrán is a Uruguayan political figure. He is the current President of the Colorado Party-Early life:Bordaberry was educated at The British Schools of Montevideo, gaining fluency in English...
led the Colorado Party to a notable electoral recovery, practically doubling its votes cast in 2004. The Independent Party, with candidates Pablo Mieres and Iván Posada, gained an additional seat in the Chamber of Deputies. Popular Assembly, a small, new extreme left party, did not win much support.
Referenda
Two referenda were on the ballot. One would have removed amnesty for human rights abuses under the 1973–85 dictatorship, during the presidencies of Juan María BordaberryJuan María Bordaberry
Juan María Bordaberry Arocena was a Uruguayan politician and cattle rancher, who first served as President from 1972 until 1976, including as a dictator from 1973 until his ouster in a 1976 coup...
, Alberto Demicheli
Alberto Demicheli
Alberto Pedro Demicheli Lizaso was a Uruguayan political figure. Demicheli was a de facto President of Uruguay in 1976...
, Aparicio Méndez
Aparicio Méndez
Aparicio Méndez Manfredini , was a Uruguayan political figure. He was a de facto President of Uruguay from 1976–1981. As a non-democratically elected authority of the Civic-military dictatorship .-Background:...
, and Gregorio Álvarez. The other was to enable mail-in votes by citizens living outside Uruguay. Both referenda failed, the first obtaining 47.3% of votes and the second only 36.9%