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10/31/2004:

"By Boat or Horse, Uruguayans Go to Elect President"

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (Reuters) - Uruguayan emigrants caught the ferry from Argentina and cowboys from vast cattle ranches galloped their horses to town to vote in elections on Sunday that could give Uruguay its first leftist leader.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time (5 a.m. EST/1000 GMT) across this nation of 3.4 million, where voting is mandatory. They will close at 7.30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. EST/2130 GMT) and final results are expected a few hours after midnight (9 p.m. EST/0200 GMT).

Leftist candidate Tabare Vazquez, a 64-year-old doctor, has a good chance of clinching the presidency by winning more than 50 percent of the vote and avoiding a November runoff. His Broad Front coalition should also win majorities in Congress.

Heavy on voters' minds is the 1999-2003 economic crisis that spilled over from Argentina, leaving one-third of Uruguayans living below the poverty line and forcing 100,000 mostly young people to emigrate.

Anger over the crisis is expected to take its toll on the two candidates from the traditional parties -- the Blancos and the Colorados -- that have ruled the once-prosperous nation of European immigrants for the last 170 years.

Full Article: nytimes.com