MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Uruguayan football star joins presidential politics

A good defence to help the Colorado party fight back.

Former Uruguayan football star and coach Hugo de León has been nominated as vice president candidate for the opposition junior partner Colorado party. He will second presidential candidate Pedro Bordaberry.

“He is the most capable and adequate person for the job” said Bordaberry during his proclamation Thursday evening in Montevideo. Naming De León is an essential part “of our project to renew and open the Colorado party to the people” he added.

De León, 51, said in a much cheered and supported speech that he was “surprised and overwhelmed” with the invitation and it made him feel as when, years ago, he was about to enter the field with the Nacional colours to play the “classic match of Uruguay’s premier league” against Peñarol.

“My greatest pride in the coming October election is going to be when our candidate (Bordaberry) garners the most voters possible, those many votes that the Colorado party and its long tradition of dedication to Uruguay and its people, deserves”.

Twice former Uruguayan president Julio Maria Sanguinetti said De León was a man of strong democratic convictions and “a very popular and much loved figure, which is evidence of an opening to the people”.

The former soccer star turned farmer, actively campaigned for Bordaberry and the Colorados during the political parties primary campaign of last June 28th.

The Colorado party which once dominated Uruguayan politics and since the return of democracy in 1984 has held the five-year presidency three times (two with Sangunetti and the other with Jorge Batlle) dropped to third place in 2004 and in the June 28th primary collected 12% of the vote, behind the main opposition force the National Party and the ruling Broad Front coalition.

Precisely a long standing personal feud between the ageing leaders Sanguinetti and Batlle has conditioned the electoral fortune of the Colorado party and following the 2004 appalling defeat there has been a strong movement to open the old party (founded in the 1830s) and replace the old guard with new names, younger candidates sweeping aside cronies and behind the scenes politicking practices and dealings.

Prospects are that a “renewed” Colorado party can collect anywhere between 15 and 18% of the vote next October. If there’s a run off in November the Colorados are expected to side with the main opposition National party and his candidate Luis Alberto Lacalle.

De León was a renowned defence who played for one of Uruguay’s two main premier league teams; Gremio from Brazil and Logroñes among several clubs. He played for the Uruguayan national team 48 times between July 1979 and June 1990. He was also coach of Nacional, Gremio (Brazil) and Monterrey, Mexico.