MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay's Vazquez ends speculation over seeking re-election

Uruguayan president Tabaré Vazquez put an end on Monday to months' long speculations about his possible re-election stating during a public ceremony that he would not be a candidate in the next election.

Addressing his cabinet and the press from Government House Vazquez recalled that when his speech taking office before the General Assembly on March 2005 he had clearly stated that this "would be the first and surely the only" time he would be visiting Parliament as president. And if such option is proposed (re-election) "I would not accept it", underlined President Vazquez who has always stated he prefers medicine his professional formation, to politics. Actually he dedicates two mornings of the week to his cancer clinic and patients in downtown Montevideo. President Vazquez leads a coalition with an ample catch all parties that includes from his own Socialists, Christian Democrats, Communists, radical left groups, Social Democrats to former guerrilla groups and in October 2004 won the national election with almost 51% of the vote. This means that for the first time in Uruguay in recent history a single party has a clear majority in Congress. Vazquez also mentioned that "it sounds curious that those who most criticize this administration and are saying this is a terribly bad government, are the same who seem most concerned about the possibility of a re-election", which are also "curious arguments". "Some like to preach that rotation in government is good and that is why there should be no re-election", said Vazquez who added that this is an indirect way of admitting that "if there's re-election, re-election would win". Further on he underlined that other opposition figures appeal to "legal and constitutional arguments to argue that the way to re-election is not possible, but nevertheless they worry". "I close my eyes and I seem to be seeing some faces sighing a profound relief that re-election is not in my plans, even if voters extend to me such an honour". Last May a government funded public opinion poll showed that 58% of Uruguayans would support the re-election mechanism, sending shock waves to the opposition but also stunning some potential hopefuls who have been lining up for some time. The following day the poll was made public Agriculture and Livestock minister Jose Mujica, who leads the largest group in the ruling coalition, said that he favoured the re-election of President Vazquez but if the ruling coalition found no consensus candidate, he would throw his hat to the ring and dispute the coalition's primaries. Another hopeful is Economics and Finance minister Danilo Astori who has steered the Uruguayan economy along orthodox lines, --some say more orthodox than his liberal predecessors--, and the good performance and results are tempting for the Uruguayan middle class. However in the coming weeks his political future will be on the line with a controversial fiscal reform that could backfire if it only proves as critics argue, to be a serious blow to the pockets of the middle class with no meaningful delivery in exchange. Uruguay for the last three/four years has been roller coasting on the booming prices of international commodities, which has particularly helped agriculture, farm related industries and the finances of the central government. Although historically presidential re-election in Latinamerica, the land of caudillos, has been taboo, in the last twenty years with governance and democracy more stable, several countries amended their constitutions to allow elected leaders attempt a second period. This has been the case in Argentina under former president Carlos Menem (and possibly current president Kirchner); in Brazil with Henrique Cardoso and Lula da Silva; Venezuela with Hugo Chavez; Colombia with Alvaro Uribe, and such a possibility will be open to whoever succeeds Michelle Bachelet in Chile.