Tabare Vazquez easily won Uruguay’s presidential election on Sunday, returning to power a left-leaning coalition that has helped legalise gay marriage and moved to create the world’s first state-run marijuana marketplace.
The runoff vote had drawn international attention because Dr. Vazquez’s rival, centre-right candidate Luis Lacalle Pou, had promised to undo much of the plan to put the government in charge of regulating the production, distribution and sale of marijuana on a nationwide scale.
Mr. Pou (41) said that he had called Dr. Vazquez to concede and “wish him great success” after three exit polls showed him losing by a more than 10-point margin, a defeat seen as saving the pot plan from possible extinction.
Late Sunday night, Uruguay’s Electoral Court announced that with 59 per cent of the polling stations counted, Mr. Vazquez had 52 per cent of the vote and Mr. Pou 42 per cent.
Dr. Vazquez, a 74-year-old oncologist who was president from 2005-2010, immediately called on the opposition to join him in a national accord to deal with the key issues of public security, health and education.
“I want to be able to count on all Uruguayans, but not so that they follow me but so that they guide me, accompany me,” said Dr. Vazquez as his supporters poured into the street to celebrate.
Sunday’s win marked a reversal of roles for Dr. Vazquez, who shook up Uruguayan politics when he became president his first time, peacefully ending 170 years of two-party dominance. In his first presidential campaign, Dr. Vazquez promised changes that would “shake the roots of the trees.” But he governed as a relatively cautious moderate, avoiding the constitutional changes and polarization that have shaken countries such as Venezuela.
