Jimmy's weblog

With all the excitement over the US presidential election, it’s easy to forget other American countries also exist - and have elections. Overnight from Uruguay comes the news that socialist Tabare Vazquez has won the presidential election by more than 16% from his nearest rival. It’s the first time Uruguay has ever elected a left-wing president since gaining independence in 1825.

Vazquez joins a range of South American left-leaning office holders, including Venezuala’s Hugo Chavez (1998), Chile’s Ricardo Lagos (2000), Ecuador’s Lucio Gutierrez (2002), Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2002) and Argentina’s Nestor Kirchner (2003).

The last three have been elected since George Bush became US president in 2000 (and in that time Chavez has overcome a US-supported coup as well as a recall vote).

Could it be that voters in the US presidential election have an influence right throughout the Americas?

Update: The Associated Press has a summary of South American elections held over the weekend.

Here is a look at the presidential and local elections held in four South American countries over the weekend. Some of the results reflect a recent leftward trend in regional politics.

URUGUAY

Tabare Vazquez of the Broad Front coalition won the presidential election, becoming the nation’s first leftist leader. His win breaks more than 170 years of presidential rule from the country’s two more traditional parties, the Colorado and the National.

VENEZUELA

Pro-government candidates swept all but two of 23 governorships in regional elections Sunday, giving a boost to leftist President Hugo Chavez.

BRAZIL

Left-leaning President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was handed a defeat as his party lost mayoral runoffs in Sao Paulo and several other key cities. Analysts predicted Brazil’s first elected leftist leader would not suffer long-term political damage.

CHILE

Voters gave strong support to the center-left government of President Ricardo Lagos in nationwide municipal elections, although the right-wing opposition won the key mayoral race in the capital Santiago.