MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay’s ruling coalition close to a presidential ticket: Mujica-Astori

The winning ticket for next October?

With only two months for the primaries, Uruguay’s ruling coalition seems to have reached an understanding as to how the presidential ticket for October’s general elections will be nominated. Whoever wins next June 28 will lead the ticket and the runner up accepts the Vice president post to seal a united front.

This in practical terms means the Broad Front or Progressive Front presidential hopeful could very well be the former guerrilla and leader of the coalition’s most voted sector, Jose Mujica and his companion economist and former Minister or Finance Danilo Astori who is considered the architect of the four-year running sustained growth of the Uruguayan economy.

All public opinion polls have consistently shown Mr. Mujica with at least eleven points advantage over Mr. Astori and a third distant Marcos Carambula. The latest poll released Monday has Mr. Mujica with 50% of vote intention among those who will be voting in the June primaries and Mr. Astori with 39%.

Although on the launching of the campaign for the primaries a few nasty things were said, particularly since Mr. Mujica does have a university education, he does not fit the “physique du role” for a president and is fond of straight coarse language, nevertheless he has managed to keep well ahead even when President Tabare Vazquez suggested that the ticket should be “Astori-Mujica”.

“I don’t care what the president wants; we all have a right to run and the boys want me. The president also knows I don’t pay much attention to what he says”, was Mujica’s plain reply when asked about his standing with President Vazquez.

“I have the charm and the votes, he’s (Astori) a genius with numbers and I have great respect for him”, likes to repeat Mujica.

However both hopefuls need each other. Mr. Mujica needs all possible votes from Astori and his reputation as an efficient administrator to ensure a united front. Astori on the other hand, contrary to what he said at the beginning of the campaign (“I would never accept the Vice-president post”) has to ensure support (and jobs) for his team and hope for his followers with a strong parliamentary representation.

“Mujica alone won’t win the national elections in October. He needs a counterbalance and to broaden the spectrum of voters, so we are sure there will be no obstacles with Astori completing the ticket”, said Broad Front sources.

“It is essential if for the Broad Front to win in October with no runoff in November. For that all sectors of the ruling coalition must feel represented and this can be anticipated with Astori”, added the sources. “He also has the capacity to appeal to votes outside the coalition, which is very important”.

The Astori team can only hope from now until June 28th, for Mujica’s mistakes and that a larger number of voters turn up. Polls indicate that the difference between the two hopefuls shortens when the militants’ primary turns into a national election.

Some press reports in Montevideo have also indicated that the Mujica/Astori ticket has already been agreed among the two contestants and “it wouldn’t be surprising if Mr. Mujica sponsors a constitutional reform dividing government and state functions, creating the job of prime minister”, which would be tailor-made for the former Economy minister.