Uruguayan Left gains in race for Presidency

URUGUAY: A left-wing former guerrilla has widened his lead ahead of Uruguay's Oct. 25 presidential election, but does not have enough votes to avoid a second round, an opinion poll showed on Monday. Ex-guerrilla fighter Sen. Jose Mujica and center-right former President Luis Lacalle are the two main contenders in the race to succeed Tabare Vazquez as leader of the small, South American ranching nation.

Mujica's left-leaning Frente Amplio coalition has 45 percent support, with Lacalle's Partido Nacional on 32 percent and the fellow center-right Partido Colorado on 11 percent, according to a poll by the Interconsult consulting firm. Interconsult's last monthly poll gave the ruling coalition 44 percent and the Partido Nacional 35 percent.

If no party wins more than 50 percent in the Oct. 25 ballot, a second-round run-off will be held on Nov. 29. Interconsult, which conducted its survey between Sept. 12 and Sept. 14 among 900 households, said the current situation pointed to a tight second-round vote.

Montevideo, Tuesday, Reuters