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1 1 (December 9, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbhyt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Researh Sevice Uruguay's 2019 Elections December 9, 2019 On November 24, 2019, Uruguayans narrowly elected Luis Lacalle Pou of the center-right National Party in a presidential runoff election. Lacalle Pou's inauguration, scheduled for March 1, 2020, will end the center-left Broad Front coalition's 15-year hold on power and could usher in several changes to Uruguay's economic and security policies. The new government is also likely to align more closely with the United States on some foreign policy issues, such as efforts, supported by Congress, to facilitate the restoration of democracy in Venezuela. Domestic Context As much of the Latin American region has struggled in recent years with recessions and mass protests, Uruguay has remained a bastion of relative stability. The center-left Broad Front has held the presidency and majorities in both houses of the Uruguayan General Assembly since 2005. In office, the Broad Front has adhered to orthodox macroeconomic policies while expanding social welfare programs, making the tax system more progressive, and enacting union-empowering labor laws. This policy mix, combined with a boom in international demand for Uruguay's agricultural commodity exports, has contributed to considerable improvements in living standards. Uruguay is in the midst of the longest economic expansion in its history; real gross domestic product (GDP) growth has averaged 4.3% per year since 2005, and the poverty rate has fallen from 32.5% in 2006 to 8. 1% in 2018. The Broad Front governments also have enacted several far-reaching social policy reforms that have legalized abortion, regulated the marijuana market, and expanded lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. The Broad Front's support base has eroded over the past five years, however, as the administration of President Tabar Vdizquez has struggled to address domestic challenges. Economic growth averaged 1.6% during the first four years of Vdzquez's term and is forecast to slow to 0.4% in 2019. This slowdown, partially due to economic downturns in Argentina and Brazil, has contributed to higher unemployment, larger budget deficits, and a general sense of economic stagnation. Many Uruguayans also have been alarmed by rising levels of crime and violence. The homicide rate has more than doubled since the Broad Front took power, rising from 5.7 per 100,000 residents in 2005 to 11.8 per 1)0,00 in 2018. 2019 Election Campaign and Results Given Uruguayans' dissatisfaction with the Broad Front, the political opposition entered the 2019 campaign in a favorable position. Opposition voters remained divided, however, between the National Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11206 CRS }NStGHT Prepaed for Menbeis and Cornm ittees o4 Co q _gress ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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