The contenders for Uruguay’s presidency emerge

Primary elections were held in Uruguay on June 28th and confirmed what opinion polls have long suggested—that the presidential candidates for the October 25th election will be Jose Mujica, from the ruling centre-left Frente Amplio (FA) coalition, Luis Alberto Lacalle, from the right-wing Partido Nacional (PN, also known as the Blancos), Pedro Bordaberry from the centre-right Partido Colorado (PC) and an independent, Pablo Mieres. The only two candidates with a realistic chance of winning the presidency are Mr Mujica and Mr Lacalle, which some fear brings the possibility of a polarised campaign. However, the need to attract centrist voters is important for both candidates, who are likely to focus their presidential campaigns on the centre ground.

Both Mr Mujica and Mr Lacalle won convincing victories: Mr Mujica beat the former finance minister, Danilo Astori, by 53% to 38% with a third FA candidate, Marcos Carambula, polling 9% of the votes; within the PN, Mr Lacalle beat Jorge Larranaga by 57% to 43%. According to exit polls, the PN obtained the largest share of the vote (43.1%) against 42.2% for the FA. Although the figures do not reflect the overall level of support for the parties, the FA had been expected to top the polls and the turnout has been interpreted as a boost for the opposition. …