José “Pepe” Mujica was pronounced the victor of Uruguay’s run-off election soon after polls closed on Sunday. With more than 97% of the ballots now tallied Mujica garnered more than 53% of the popular vote, quite a coup for the 74-year-old former guerilla. Mujica served 14 years for his armed opposition to democratically elected governments in the 1960s and 70s. Out of jail, Mujica has been a farmer, and, more recently, served as an agriculture minister and a senator.
If campaign rhetoric is telling, Mujica will look toward Brazil’s Lula for economic inspiration rather than the hard-line stance of the Hugo Chavez ilk. Mujica will preserve Uruguay’s ruling leftist coalition, known as the Broad Front, and insists on continuing the policies of outgoing President Tabaré Vázquez. “It’s going to be the same dog, with a different collar,” says Mr. Mujica. Uruguayans widely credit Broad Front for righting the economy after Argentina’s economic collapse earlier in the decade and preserving growth this year in the face of global recession. Investor-friendly social welfare has been a hallmark of the Broad Front’s reign.
Mujica’s opponent was Luis Lacalle, a former president who led the center-right National Party. Lacalle questioned Mujica’s guerilla past, but when exit polls came in he was quick to concede defeat. Overlooking his politics, it’s probably best that Lacalle lost: the region’s history shows that returning a former president to office rarely turns out well.
"Pepe"
There is one pitfall leering over the horizon. Sometime in his five-year term that begins on March 1, Mr. Mujica will have to wrestle the issue of abortion. A legislative move to legalize abortion is in the offing, and Mr. Mujica has stated that he will not veto abortion-rights legislation. Uruguay is relatively progressive on social issues, but the lasting influence of the Catholic Church would surely stir some backlash.
In Latin America, tiny Uruguay punches well above its weight. For its democratic tradition and economic stability the nation enjoys significant diplomatic prestige at the UN and OAS. Hopefully, the message of Mujica’s presidency will be transmitted to other parts of the region. The best way for an old guerilla to alleviate social woes is by preserving stability and not antagonizing investors.
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