MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) – Tabare Vazquez shook up Uruguayan politics when he became president in 2005, peacefully ending 170 years of two-party dominance. Now, as Uruguayans vote on Sunday, he’s the face of continuity as he seeks to extend his left-leaning coalition’s decade in power.
A series of pre-election polls gave Vazquez a roughly 10-point lead over his rival, Luis Lacalle Pou of the conservative National Party in the South American nation of 3.2 million people.
Tall and trim, the 74-year-old oncologist is almost the physical opposite of outgoing President Jose Mujica, who is short, paunchy and famously informal. But both support social programs that have improved life for the poor as well as continuing moderate economic policies.
In his first presidential campaign, Vazquez promised changes that would “shake the roots of the trees.” But he governed as a relatively cautious moderate, avoiding the constitutional changes and polarization that have shaken countries such as Venezuela.
Vazquez has said he will leave in place a law to give Uruguay the world’s first government-run marijuana market, though he said he would retreat if it has negative results.