Uruguay’s Political Shift- A Recovery from Dictatorship?
On 30th November 2019 Luis Lacalle Pou of the center-right National Party triumphed in the Uruguayan elections, bringing to a close the 15 year governance by the left-wing Frente Amplio (Broad Front) coalition.
I was able to witness this dramatic shift as I was residing and studying in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, at the time. My very English perceptions of what elections consisted of were deeply subverted by the vocality of the voters seen in many demonstrations, street art and even Frente Amplio’s festival ‘Viva la olla esperanza’ (‘Live the wave of hope’). This openness and unrestrained passion for one’s preferred party provides a sharp contrast to the stiff upper lip maintained in Britain with regards to voting, as well as much else.
Lacalle Pou’s agenda maintains many of the Broad Front’s liberal socialist ideas including the legalisation of marijuana, abortion and same-sex marriage. This assurance of the safety of civil liberties is particularly crucial in Uruguay due to its experience of military dictatorship, which extended from 1973 to 1985. A large proportion of the population remain scarred by their memories of this era and the reverberations that succeeded it.
With nearly 200 Uruguayans still deemed ‘desaparecido’ (missing) from the years of military rule, the country has far from forgotten what it suffered just 35 years ago. However, this switch in governance may be a sign that the population is beginning to feel confident in the security of their country. Political change in itself always carries with it an amount of anxiety, however for a country in which approximately half of the populace experienced the dictatorship firsthand, this anxiety is doubtlessly magnified.
In light of this, it is a true testament to the country’s strength that the news of the conservative party’s success was brought in by celebrations that emanated from countless homes.
It will be vital that Lacalle Pou exercises caution and governs with moderation in order to maintain this confidence that 48.7% of the populace, measured from a voter turnout of 90%, instilled in him. This victory, though narrow, appears to be a crucial turning point for a country whose collective memory retains a fear of oppression, made clear in the voters’ rejection of a referendum contemporary to the election that would have permitted soldiers to patrol alongside police.
Uruguay’s people still hold their civil liberties close to their chests and are understandably fearful of any potential reversions to the time of military rule. Despite this, they have now heralded the first political shift in 15 years, a change that they, and I, hope will lead to economic prosperity along with a continued period of social stability that enables shared healing from the past.