General elections were held in Uruguay on 31 October 1999, alongside a double referendum, with a second round of the presidential election on 28 November.Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p494 The elections were the first in Uruguay since World War I that were not dominated by the Colorado Party and the National Party. The Broad Front had begun gaining popularity in 1994, and had become a key player in Uruguayan politics by 1999.URUGUAY: parliamentary elections Camara de Senadores, 1999 IPU
The Broad Front–Progressive Encounter alliance became the largest faction in the General Assembly, winning the most seats in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. In the presidential elections, Tabaré Vázquez of the Broad Front received the most votes in the first round, but was defeated by Jorge Batlle of the Colorado Party in the second round.Uruguay: 1999 Presidential Election, first round Political Database of the AmericasUruguay: 1999 Presidential Election, second round Political Database of the Americas The National Party suffered the worst showing in its history, falling to third place in both chambers behind the Broad Front and Colorados. In the second round, Batlle formed an alliance with the National Party; according to The New York Times, the traditional parties' decision to put aside their rivalry of over a century and a half helped Batlle win the presidency on his fifth attempt.
Electoral system Changes to the electoral law prior to the elections allowed third parties like the Broad Front a wider opportunity for participation. Parties were now required to hold primaries on the same day in April to elect a single presidential candidate; previously several candidates from a single party had been able to run for the presidency. The reforms also introduced the two-round system for the presidential election, with a candidate now required to receive over 50% of the vote to be elected in the first round, or face a run-off against the second-place candidate. Although the double simultaneous vote system (in which voters cast a single vote for the party of their choice for the Presidency, Senate and Chamber of Representatives) was retained, it prevented parties from submitting different lists.
The 30 members of the Senate were elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency,Senate: Electoral system IPU whilst the 99 members of the Chamber of Representatives were elected by proportional representation in 19 multi-member constituencies based on the departments. Seats were allocated using the highest averages method.Chamber of Deputies: Electoral system IPU
Primaries The requirement to choose a single presidential candidate created tension in some parties. The National Party chose Luis Alberto Lacalle, who had been president from 1990 to 1995. The Colorado Party primaries were won by Jorge Batlle, whilst the Broad Front selected Tabaré Vázquez.
Campaign The Colorado Party spent the most on the campaign, spending the equivalent of US$11.1m ($3.1m in the primaries and $8m in the main election). The Broad Front spend $8m ($670,000 during the primaries and $7.4m during the main campaign) and the National Party $7m ($2m in the primaries and $5m during the main election). Other parties spent $500,000 during both stages of the elections.
Results
Distribution by department First round Constituency Broad Front Colorado Party National Party New Space Civic UnionValid votesInvalid votes Votes %D Votes %D Votes %DVotes%DVotes%DVotes%Votes% Artigas10,90722.2– 19,753 40.2116,59533.816581.3–350.1–48,15898.19481.9 Canelones 106,571 38.0690,35532.3459,83221.4313,9325.014810.2–272,55697.37,5762.7 Cerro Largo15,23326.0118,37631.41 21,814 37.211,4012.4–230.0–57,21397.61,3882.4Colonia25,19829.21 28,197 32.6125,63929.714,8605.6–830.1–84,50997.81,9072.2Durazno8,44521.4–14,20635.91 14,693 37.111,2023.0–450.1–38,80698.17451.9Flores3,99621.2–6,49934.41 7,343 38.915552.9–440.2–18,51298.13591.9Florida13,95828.3– 16,897 34.2115,49131.411,6913.4–650.1–48,42598.19301.9Lavalleja9,45720.5– 17,805 38.5115,95434.511,6273.5–630.1–45,21397.99752.1Maldonado30,501 34.6230,48534.5120,16822.814,1994.8–2260.3–86,09497.52,1712.5Montevideo 484,441 50.623278,68429.113118,56912.4551,0715.333,1260.3–941,06698.415,7231.6Paysandú 30,921 40.9220,65427.3119,11925.3–2,5063.3–1430.2–74,02497.91,6062.1Rio Negro9,83228.31 14,314 41.118,25023.7–1,4714.2–310.1–34,13498.16601.9Rivera13,08318.9– 28,095 40.6124,41835.311,4352.1–680.1–67,48497.61,6742.4Rocha14,01627.31 17,984 35.1115,82430.811,5343.0–380.1–49,81097.11,4952.9Salto24,02930.71 29,490 37.6119,78225.212,7153.5–1430.2–76,60697.81,7572.2San Jose19,99030.4119,62229.8– 21,704 33.012,3703.6–2130.3–64,30397.71,5152.3Soriano19,27332.31 21,697 36.3114,87524.9–1,9523.3–550.1–58,34897.71,3732.3Tacuarembó13,67921.9–19,82031.71 25,561 40.811,6582.6–2180.3–61,27197.91,3202.1Treinta y Tres7,67222.4–10,98232.11 13,349 39.011,1063.2–90.0–33,45797.77732.3 Total 861,202 39.140 703,91531.933478,98021.72297,9434.445,1090.202,159,98998.044,8952.0 Source: Corte Electoral
Second round ConstituencyColorado PartyBroad FrontValid votesInvalid votesVotes %Votes %Votes % Artigas 32,261 66.115,07130.947,33297.01,4453.0 Canelones 147,912 52.8123,66344.1271,57596.98,7813.1 Cerro Largo 36,759 62.919,56133.556,32096.32,1513.7Colonia 52,818 61.230,70135.683,51996.82,7763.2Durazno 27,140 68.811,02428.038,16496.81,2663.2Flores 12,881 68.55,38428.618,26597.25342.8Florida 30,235 61.417,37735.347,61296.61,6663.4Lavalleja 32,635 70.811,87025.844,50596.61,5853.4Maldonado 50,761 57.534,53239.185,29396.62,9943.4Montevideo 410,992 42.8 525,496 54.7936,48897.524,1412.5Paysandú 37,108 49.335,63647.472,74496.72,5073.3Rio Negro 21,030 60.812,36535.833,39596.61,1873.4Rivera 49,288 71.717,12224.966,41096.62,3553.4Rocha 29,759 58.019,25537.549,01495.52,2984.5Salto 47,379 60.728,35836.375,73797.02,3803.0San Jose 40,221 61.223,51635.863,73797.01,9853.0Soriano 34,432 57.823,16138.957,59396.71,9463.3Tacuarembó 42,486 68.217,65828.360,14496.52,1803.5Treinta y Tres 22,611 66.310,02829.432,63995.71,4494.3 Total 1,158,708 52.5981,77844.52,140,48697.065,6263.0 Source: Corte Electoral
Documentary The 1999 election is portrayed at Jorge Batlle: entre el cielo y el infierno, a 2024 documentary directed by Federico Lemos.
References