Uruguay shuffles left
Latin America has changed dramatically in the last decade. The familiar dictatorial regimes of the past have given way to new governments promising radical reform and supported by mass popular movements. The presidential victory of Hugo Chávez in 1998 was followed by Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva's electoral triumph in Brazil in 2003, Evo Morales's ascent to the Bolivian presidency in 2005 and the inauguration of radical bishop Fernando Lugo in Paraguay in 2008.
The recent election of José Mujica as president of Uruguay appears to continue the pattern. His credentials are impeccable; a member of the Tuparmaros urban guerrilla movement in the 1960s, he was tortured and imprisoned for 14 years by the military regime that took power in 1971.… Seguir leyendo »