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Politics

Jose Mujica is Uruguay’s new President

November 29, 2009 by Brian

Mujica Montevideo is alive right now with horns honking and people who support the Frente Amplio yelling “Viva Pepe” in the streets.  Fireworks are popping off in the distance and very dark storm clouds are rolling in soon to drench this great city.

“Pepe” is President Jose Mujica’s nickname.  As the new President for Uruguay, Jose Mujica will bring a colorful rule to this great nation. 

Jose Mujica spent 14 years in prison during Uruguay’s military regime; because he was the founder of the Marxist Tupamaros guerillas.  He’s friends with Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.  He’s vowed to bring change to Uruguay.

In July Pepe made a speech and vowed to repent “the stupid
ideologies that come from the 1970s – I refer to things like
unconditional love of everything that is state-run, scorn for
businessmen and intrinsic hate of the United States.  I’ll shout
it if they want: Down with isms! Up with a left that is capable of
thinking outside the box! In other words, I am more than completely
cured of simplifications, of dividing the world into good and evil, of
thinking in black and white. I have repented!”

Often outspoken and causing controversy with his speeches calling Argentina “a nation of morons”… It’s definitely going to be an interesting ride with Mujica as President of Uruguay.

No matter what happens, I’m sure it will be colorful.



Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: jose, mujica, president, uruguay, uruguay's new president

Uruguay Rated #1 for Prosperity in South America

October 29, 2009 by Brian



MainTitle
The third edition of the Legatum Prosperity Index was released this week. This index ranks 104 countries (accounting for 90% of the world’s population) based on a definition of prosperity that combines economic growth with measures of happiness and quality of life.

The 9 areas the Legatum Prosperity Index looks at are:
1.    Economic Fundamentals
2.    Entrepreneurship and Innovation
3.    Education
4.    Democratic Institutions
5.    Governance
6.    Health
7.    Personal Freedom
8.    Security
9.    Social Capital

The highest-ranking South American countries are Uruguay (33rd), Chile (36th) and Argentina (38th). The lowest performing country in South America is Venezuela (74th), just ahead of Bolivia (73rd) and Ecuador (71st).

Uruguay scored especially well in 3 areas:
•    Personal freedom at 14th
•    Safety and security at 26th
•    Health at 28th

Full details about Uruguay’s rankings in the 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index can be found here. If you want to see how Uruguay’s ranking stacks up against the US, click here.

Since Ecuador was our second choice if Uruguay didn’t work out for us, we were surprised how low it scored on the Index given its preference as a hot spot for expats. In fact, International Living named Ecuador the World's Best Retirement Haven for 2009. It just shows how it important it is to get your information from multiple sources when deciding where to live as an expat.

Read the Index’s key findings related to South America here.

More information on the Prosperity Index, including full country rankings, background on data and methodology, and profiles of each country can be found at www.prosperity.com.



Filed Under: Culture, Financial, Health Care, News, Politics Tagged With: 2009, Ecuador, Legatum Prosperity Index, uruguay

Uruguay Presidential Elections: Outcome Still Uncertain

October 26, 2009 by Brian



The Uruguay Presidential elections were held yesterday. In order to secure the Presidential post, the candidate must receive 50% plus one of the votes. Jose "Pepe" Mujica was just shy of that number, with 47.5% of the votes. Luis Alberto Lacalle received 28.5% of the votes and Pedro Bordaberry received 17% of the votes. (for more details on the political parties in Uruguay, click here)

Because no Presidential Candidate received 50% plus one of the votes, there will be a runoff election on November 29 between the top two Uruguayan Presidential Candidates (Mujica and Lacalle) to decide who will be the next President of Uruguay. For more information on this year’s Uruguay Presidential Elections, visit El Pais, the Uruguay newspaper.

What we’ve found most interesting about the Uruguay Presidential Elections is the level of involvement by Uruguay’s citizens. It seems that everyone is passionate about politics and gets deeply involved. There are people on every street corner handing out information on the candidate they support. And it seems like there’s a rally every other day for one of the candidates.

It’s not uncommon to see one of the Presidential candidates on a street corner giving a speech to a large group of people. Lacalle has a small campaign office across the street from our apartment and has given speeches there.

This picture was taken from our balcony:
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Even though voting is compulsory (there’s a fine of UY$400, or less than U$S 20, for not voting), the people of Uruguay care deeply about what happens with their government and take their freedom very seriously. 

In a country of a little over 3.4 million people there are approximately 2.5 million people who are eligible to vote. It’s reported that voter turnout for the Uruguay Presidential Election was above 90%. That means over 2.25 million people voted in the 2009 Uruguayan Presidential Election.

Perhaps this is because Uruguay was under the rule of a dictator from 1973 to 1984 (when the first free elections were held). So, the people of Uruguay still remember what it was like to be oppressed by their government.

We never saw this level of involvement in politics in the US, or anything close to it. In the 2008 US Presidential elections, there was a 56.8% voter turnout.  This was the highest voter turnout for a US Presidential Election since 1968, which was still only a 60.8% voter turnout. (source)

A lot of US citizens go to the polls uninformed about the candidates and issues on the ballot. Perhaps many US citizens take their freedom for granted because they have had it for as long as they can remember…

Whatever the reason, it’s refreshing to be part of a community that truly cares about the direction of the country.



Filed Under: Culture, News, Politics Tagged With: president, uruguay elections, uruguay presidential elections

The Exploring Uruguay Forum is Now Live!

October 2, 2009 by Brian

Thank you to all of our blog readers for asking so many great questions about Uruguay. The number of questions we’ve been getting has increased significantly, so we decided it was time to create the Exploring Uruguay Forum.

We’ve been working hard on getting the forum ready over the past several days and we’re excited to announce that it’s finally live.

So, come by the Exploring Uruguay Forum today and post a question about Uruguay. Or, share your experiences with living in Uruguay, or visiting Uruguay.

Thanks in advance for contributing to the community!

Filed Under: Baby, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Family, Financial, Food and Drink, Health Care, Household, Language, News, Packing, Politics, Real Estate, Services, Travel, Uruguay Blogs, Web/Tech Tagged With: exploring uruguay forum, forum, uruguay, uruguay forum

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