MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay's president re-election campaign divides coalition

President Tabare Vazquez

The campaign for the re-election of Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez has triggered a controversy inside the ruling coalition with, for the first time, a serious public exchange between the leader and a member of Congress.

"It is shameful that a member of Congress from the Broad Front" publicly announces he will take the sponsors of the re-election campaign before the Conduct Tribunal, said President Vazquez following a cabinet meeting. "It's against what the Broad Front has stood for since it was started". But Deputy Victor Semproni from the ruling coalition's most voted group was quick in replying: "I stand by what I announced; I'm sorry companion Tabaré". He added it was disappointing he didn't order an end to the campaign because the issue has not been debated inside the coalition. President Vazquez insisted in using the words "incredible and inadmissible" to refer to the proposal and recalled that he never adhered "for obvious reasons" to the campaign to collect signatures which would open the way for a constitutional amendment to enable re-election, currently (and historically) not contemplated in Uruguayan legal tradition. However, if Semproni sends a list to the Conduct Tribunal with the names and signatures of all those companions who adhered "I will sign and be first in the list", underlined Vazquez. Semproni indicated he would not have Vazquez head of the list when he files the claim "because the president did not sign the re-election proposal, but if the had, I certainly would". The ruling coalition dissenter argued President Vazquez was supporting the initiative "indirectly". And this happens when the Broad Front is holding "a multiplicity of meetings to search for a consensus candidate for the presidential ticket" of October 2009 general election. Semproni insisted "this (re-election) campaign solves nothing since anyway another ticket has to be defined in case the re-election proposal is not reached or voted. I believe the statutes of the coalition are being abused". Deputy Semproni belongs to Espacio 609, whose leader Jose Mujica the most voted politician of the coalition, second only to Vazquez, has repeatedly said he considers himself a presidential hopeful. His competitor for leading the ticket is former Economy minister Danilo Astori, who originally had the strong support from President Vazquez. Although there's no personal animosity between the pre-candidates, Mujica has always argued that Astori "might have numbers and statistics right, but I have the charm and the votes". Faced with this situation President Vazquez according to Montevideo press reports has told his closest aides he would run for re-election and has given his blessing to a supposedly "unofficial" committee for the re-election of Vazquez. Mujica has also stated that collecting signatures for the president's re-election and the public adherence of several ministers "only helps to confuse voters". The re-election campaign was launched last week and so far four cabinet ministers have publicly stamped their signature to the petition which must be considered by Uruguay's Electoral Court and Congress, if there's sufficient support to enable a referendum on the issue. Presidential Immediate term re-election has never been contemplated in Uruguayan constitutional law. The only recent experience was in 1971 under former President Jorge Pacheco Areco when voters were given the option of simultaneously supporting the constitutional amendment and two possible presidential tickets for his followers in case the referendum was not approved, as happened. Political analysts don't discard President Vazquez re-election intention, but they also point out that he could be forcing the Broad Front congress to decide on the presidential candidate issue next December. If not the Broad Front would be exposed to a primary process next April which could inflict serious divisions, with out sufficient time to heal for the October 2009 electoral campaign.