LatAm in Focus: Could a Referendum Rattle Uruguay's Presidential Election?

But, as Saldías details for AS/COA’s Luisa Leme, there is a “third, unnamed candidate” with a lot to say in this election: a constitutional referendum that could reshape the country’s pension system.  

If approved, the incoming government would be required to lower the retirement age from 65 to 60, tie pensions to the minimum wage, and get rid of private pension fund managers. The first two proposals, in particular, are popular among the electorate, but political leaders of various ideological stripes have raised alarm bells about the reform’s fiscal sustainability given that Uruguay has one of the region’s oldest populations. “The entire political establishment, from left to right, has come out against this. If the population votes in favor of it, despite what the establishment says, this could be Uruguay’s Brexit moment,” Saldías warns. 

Also on the ballot is a referendum question on whether to scrap a constitutional restriction on nighttime police raids on private homes. That the referendum seems likely to pass with a healthy margin reflects the extent to which Uruguayans’ peaceful perception of their own country “is slowly being eroded,” notes Saldías.

Whoever wins this year’s election, Saldías says to expect a continuation of the moderate, issue-focused politics for which Uruguay is admired regionally and internationally. “What I call Uruguay is theatric polarization. There's a lot of noise, but the policies? They're not actually that different.”

This podcast was produced by Fabrizio Ricalde with support from Khalea Robertson. Luisa Leme is the host and Executive Producer. 

This is the eighth episode in our 2024 election series. Prior episodes covered electoral trends in the region, what comes next for Mexico after Claudia Sheinbaum’s electoral win, how Latin America figures into the Trump-Biden battle, the Dominican Republic’s unique political culture, the economic agenda for Panama’s new president, the youth vote in Mexico, and Nayib Bukele’s global reach.  

Find this content and more electoral insight in this year's 2024 Election Guide at: www.as-coa.org/2024 

The music in this podcast is “Three Points of View” written and performed by Gustavo Casenave and recorded for Americas Society.

Send us feedback at: latamfocus@as-coa.org 

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.