This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-30268862
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 3 | Version 4 |
---|---|
Tabare Vasquez wins Uruguay's run-off election - exit polls | Tabare Vasquez wins Uruguay's run-off election - exit polls |
(35 minutes later) | |
Uruguay's leftist candidate Tabare Vazquez has beaten his rival Luis Lacalle Pou in a presidential run-off, exit polls suggest. | Uruguay's leftist candidate Tabare Vazquez has beaten his rival Luis Lacalle Pou in a presidential run-off, exit polls suggest. |
They say Mr Vazquez, from the ruling Broad Party, won about 53% of the vote. Mr Lacalle Pou, a member of the right-wing National Party, received 41%. | |
Mr Lacalle Pou later admitted defeat. | |
President Jose Mujica, also a member of the Broad Party, is barred by the constitution from running for a second consecutive term. | |
Mr Vasquez, a former president, won the first round of voting in October. | Mr Vasquez, a former president, won the first round of voting in October. |
He gained more than 46% of the vote but it was not enough for an outright majority. | He gained more than 46% of the vote but it was not enough for an outright majority. |
Mr Lacalle Pou then secured the endorsement of the third-placed candidate Pedro Bordaberry, of the conservative Colorado Party. | |
'Big shoes to fill' | |
Mr Vasquez ended his first term as president five years ago with high approval ratings, but was forced to step aside under the same law that bars Mr Mujica from a second term. | Mr Vasquez ended his first term as president five years ago with high approval ratings, but was forced to step aside under the same law that bars Mr Mujica from a second term. |
Mr Vasquez, a 74-year-old cancer specialist, has pledged to boost social spending and keep the economy in its current good shape. | |
He also wants to reform the education system and fight crime - two of the weakest points of Mr Mujica's government, the BBC's Ignacio de los Reyes in Montevideo reports. | |
Mr Mujica remains popular for leading the country through a period of economic growth and introducing social reforms such as legalisation of marijuana, abortion and gay marriage. | |
Mr Mujica refused to live in a palace when he became president four years ago and instead he stayed at his humble farm in the outskirts of Montevideo, where he grows his own vegetables. | |
His down-to-earth style has put Uruguay in the international spotlight and his shoes will be hard to fill, our correspondent says. |