MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Montevideo Has Her First Woman Elected and Communist Mayor

Ana Olivera: “Bon jour, je suis la prochaine maire”

Communist Ana Olivera became Sunday the first elected woman mayor of the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo, following municipal elections for executive posts and councillors in the 19 regions in which the country is divided.

According to exit poll surveys Ana Olivera, a French teacher with a long experience in municipal affairs belonging to the ruling catch-all left wing collation, Broad Front (Frente Ámplio), was elected with over 50% of cast votes, retaining the city of Montevideo government for the fifth term running (25 years).

The election was no surprise, since Montevideo has been the stronghold of the ruling coalition since the return of democracy in 1985, but the overall percentage was ten points less (in cast votes) to what happened last October/November, when the national election confirmed a second consecutive mandate of the Broad Front. Furthermore, an unprecedented estimated 13% voted blank or annulled the ballot. Voting is compulsory in Uruguay at national and municipal levels.

Analysts said the results could be attributed to several reasons:

• the long electoral period (primaries last June; election in October; run off in November and municipal elections in May) has exhausted voters;
• in this particular case all candidates for mayor in Montevideo were considered flat, which further helped to take away enthusiasm from Uruguayan voters, normally very proud and keen to celebrate their transparent election system;
• Ms. Olivera, an apparatchik and bureaucrat was not an inspiring candidate (even her fellow comrades call her the “icebox”, for she is short and square);
• Probably, and most promising for opposition parties, the mystique of the left wing, fix-all, coalition that will solve all problems is decisively wearing out;
• in Montevideo the municipal workers union effectively yields more power that the elected officials.

Ms. Olivera is scheduled to take office next July. The previous mayor of Montevideo was a biologist, Ricardo Ehrlich, currently Education and Culture Minister, also a dull character who was unable to solve many of the city’s challenges.

Ms. Olivera has promised to improve the city’s public transport system and garbage collection and “to organize” the horse-pulled carts that circulate freely in the city searching for residues.

In her victory speech, Ms. Olivera said she was proud to be the first woman elected as mayor and also very proud of the fact that the Broad Front has ruled Montevideo for 20 years, “but also admitted advances have been insufficient.”

In Montevideo live almost half of Uruguay’s 3.5 million population and represents half the country’s GDP. The Electoral Court is scheduled to give final results early Monday. However, in another of the 19 regions in which Uruguay is divided, another woman, Adriana Peña was elected Mayor of Lavalleja.