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<h1><b>Uruguay elects first leftist leader<br><br>
</b></h1><font size=3><b>MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (Reuters) -- Uruguay has
made a historic political shift in electing its first leftist president,
Tabare Vazquez, and giving his coalition a majority in Congress to face
rebuilding the country after its recent economic crisis.<br><br>
</b>With nearly all votes tallied Monday morning, the charismatic
64-year-old doctor had 50.7 percent of the vote, slightly more than the
50 percent plus one vote needed to win in first-round
balloting.<br><br>
The Electoral Court said it could not confirm the winner Monday because
30,000 votes had yet to be counted, but the left and analysts continued
to work on the assumption of a Vazquez victory.<br><br>
Although Vazquez won by a lower margin than expected in this third run
for the presidency, it was enough to ensure he would be able to govern.
Vazquez declared himself winner a few hours after compulsory voting ended
in the nation of 3.4 million, and his two challengers conceded.<br><br>
"We will begin to work in the morning on the political transition
because there is no time to lose," Vazquez told supporters who
embraced his call for wider distribution of wealth and social
justice.<br><br>
Uruguay joins the ranks of South American nations -- Brazil, Argentina,
Chile and Venezuela -- that have chosen left-leaning leaders on platforms
of alleviating poverty following a decade of U.S.-backed free-market
policies that often ended in economic chaos.<br><br>
Vazquez's 33-year-old Broad Front coalition -- including Socialists,
Communists, Social Democrats and a hugely popular former guerrilla
movement -- also secured majorities in both houses of Congress.<br><br>
A pivotal contribution to Vazquez's victory was made by former guerrilla
leader Jose Mujica, who won more votes than any other senator and whose
Popular Participation Movement, built on the remnants of the Tupamaro
guerrilla movement, garnered more votes than any other party.<br><br>
"I think this is the beginning of a cycle of the left in power for
10 years or more," said political scientist Gustavo de
Armas.<br><br>
Vazquez will be sworn in March 1 to a five-year term. Re-election of
presidents is not permitted in Uruguay.<br><br>
Young Uruguayans who saw their career options evaporate in recent years
reveled late into the night on Montevideo's main avenue singing "You
see, Tabare is now president."<br><br>
The election marked a radical departure from the last 170 years of rule
by the the two traditional parties, the Colorados and Blancos, blamed for
aggravating the 1999-2003 recession and destroying the social safety net
envied by the rest of Latin America.<br><br>
Center-right National Party, or Blanco, candidate Jorge Larranaga had
34.3 percent of the vote, while Guillermo Stirling of the centrist ruling
Colorado Party trailed with 10.4 percent. Both conceded and ruled out a
runoff.<br>
<a name="1"></a><br>
</font><h3><b>Focus on growth</b></h3><font size=3>Uruguay's economy is
growing again, but the recession left one-third of Uruguayans below the
poverty line and forced 100,000 mostly young people to
emigrate.<br><br>
Vazquez, a cancer specialist who plans to keep seeing patients each week,
said his first priority will be to tackle "the social
emergency" of 100,000 indigent people. More jobs and social services
for the rest of the population will take time due to lack of public
funds.<br><br>
"Tabare will probably need two years to create jobs. I hope to get a
factory job," said Fabiana Carretto, 37, an unemployed single mother
of three.<br><br>
Indeed, the new government is betting on fresh investment to rebuild
industry in addition to ranching and banking. Taking a page from the book
of the market-friendly leftist Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva, Vazquez has told investors there will be no upheaval and Uruguay
will honor its $11 billion in foreign debt.<br><br>
"The cornerstone to reducing our vulnerability is growth. There is
no other way," said Danilo Astori, a market favorite Vazquez has
tapped for economy minister in his Cabinet.<br><br>
<br>
Copyright 2004
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#Reuters">Reuters</a>.
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