Exit polls: Former rebel leads way into runoff in Uruguay - Update

[Judi Lynn]

Exit polls: Former rebel leads way into runoff in Uruguay - Update
Posted : Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:34:38 GMT


Montevideo - Former guerrilla fighter Jose Mujica won the first round of Uruguay's presidential election Sunday but missed the absolute majority that would have allowed him to avoid a runoff, several exit polls showed. According to projections, the leftist ruling-coalition candidate Mujica is set to clash with right-wing candidate Luis Alberto Lacalle - who already led Uruguay from 1990-95 - in the runoff scheduled for November 29 to elect a successor for President Tabare Vazquez.

Ahead of the first round, opinion polls showed Mujica likely to fall short of the 50-per-cent threshold needed to avoid a second round. But he looked well-positioned to win in the event of a runoff.

Mujica, 74, is a former member of the leftist guerrilla group Tupamaros and took part in robberies and kidnappings, among others, in the past. He spent 15 years in jail, before holding public positions including that of agriculture minister.

Mujica and Lacalle got the most votes among five presidential candidates, separate exit polls said. The polling firm Factum said Mujica got 47-49 per cent of the votes, to Lacalle's 29-31 per cent. While the Cifra firm showed Mujica with 47 per cent of the vote to Lacalle's 30 per cent.

Both consulting firms agreed on the third-placed candidate, Pedro Bordaberry, with about 17 per cent of the votes. According to Uruguay's election rules, a candidate needs to get at least half the votes to win the presidential election without need for a runoff.

More:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291746,exit-polls-former-rebel-leads-way-into-runoff-in-uruguay.html

[rabs]

1. Live television from Montevideo

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http://www.elpais.com.uy/paginas/video/vervideoenvivo.asp?mv=4