Broad Front (Uruguay)

Broad Front
Frente Amplio
President Javier Miranda
Founded 5 February 1971
Headquarters Colonia 1367, Montevideo, Uruguay
Newspaper Voces del Frente
Ideology Democratic socialism[1]
Social democracy[1]
Political position Centre-left[2][3] to left-wing[4][5]
International affiliation COPPPAL
Foro de São Paulo
Socialist International
Progressive Alliance
Alliance of Democrats (Defunct)
Chamber of Senators
16 / 30
Chamber of Deputies
50 / 99
Intendencias
6 / 19
Mayors
37 / 112
Party flag
Website
http://www.frenteamplio.org.uy/

The Broad Front (Spanish: Frente Amplio, FA) is a Uruguayan centre-left to left-wing coalition of political parties. Frente Amplio has close ties with PIT-CNT trade union and the cooperative housing movement. It has been the governing party of Uruguay since 2005; Presidents Tabaré Vázquez and José Mujica are members of the party.

History

Frente Amplio was founded as a coalition of more than a dozen fractured leftist parties and movements in 1971. The first president of the front and its first candidate for the presidency of the country was General Liber Seregni. The front was declared illegal during 1973 military coup d'état of and emerged again in 1984 when democracy was restored in Uruguay.

In 1994 Progressive Encounter (Encuentro Progresista) was formed by several minor independent factions and the Frente Amplio. EP and FA started contesting elections jointly under the name Encuentro Progresista - Frente Amplio. Later another force, Nuevo Espacio, became linked to the front. Thus it started contesting elections as Encuentro Progresista - Frente Amplio - Nueva Mayoria.

In 2005 member organizations of Progressive Encounter and New Majority (essentially Nuevo Espacio) merged into the front, and the coalition took the name of the larger force, Frente Amplio. Previously, EP and later NM had been allied with FA but organizationally separate structures.

At the 2004 general election, the party won 51.7% of the popular vote and 52 out of 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 17 out of 31 in the Senate, while its presidential candidate, Tabaré Vázquez, won the presidential election. The Front retained its majority and the presidency in the 2009 election with José Mujica elected as president.

The alliance is - as far as available - formed by:

Splits

Along its history, despite the fact of constantly attracting political factions from other parties, the Broad Front suffered some splits as well:

Ideology

The Broad Front consists primarily of progressive political parties. It has tended to follow policies favouring a socialist economy with expanded social programs. Not all the parties in the Broad Front can be considered left-wing, indeed some lean towards fiscal conservatism or social conservatism. Uruguay Assembly of Danilo Astori can be considered a centrist party and Astori has followed fiscal conservative policies as finance minister, whereas the Christian Democratic Party is vocally opposed to abortion. Tabaré Vázquez during his presidency maintained his pro-life stance, in contrast to the stance of many in his own Socialist Party, leading him to leave his positions in the party.[6]

2004 electoral strength

 Summary of the 31 October 2004 General Assembly of Uruguay election results
Parties and alliances Votes Chamber of Deputies Chamber of Senators
% Seats % Seats
Broad Front – Progressive Encounter – New Majority (Frente Amplio – Encuentro Progresista – Nueva Mayoría) 51.7 52 17
National Party (Partido Nacional-Blancos) 35.1 36 11
Colorado Party (Partido Colorado) 10.6 10 3
Independent Party (Partido Independiente) 1.9 1 -
Total (turnout %)   99   31
Source: Electoral Court and El País Uruguay, Angus Reid

Results in the 2004 internal elections

In 2004 the first internal elections for EP-FA-NM was held. Previously elections had only been held within FA.

ListPartyVotes%
609Espacio 609 Movimiento de Participación Popular148,42633.18
Izquierda Abierta
Movimiento Claveles Rojos
Columna Blanca
90Espacio 90 Partido Socialista79,09017.68
Movimiento Socialista Emilio Frugoni
Partido por la Seguridad Social
Acción Renovadora
2121Espacio 2121 Asamblea Uruguay40,7419.11
Movimiento Popular Frenteamplista
738Alianza Progresista Confluencia Frenteamplista37,6288.41
Corriente 78
Partido Demócrata Cristiano
Corriente Encuentrista Independiente
77Vertiente Artiguista Artiguismo y Unidad34,5367.72
Izquierda Democrática Independiente
99000Nuevo Espacio30,7626.88
1001Democracía Avanzada Partido Comunista del Uruguay26,5695.94
Frente Izquierda de Liberación
326Movimiento 26 de Marzo12,1752.72
1303Corriente Popular8,7761.96
1813Liga Federal Frenteamplista7,4251.66
5271Corriente de Izquierda Tendencia Marxista5,2331.17
Alternativa Popular 1815 - Espacio Solidario
Partido Socialista de los Trabajadores-CI
Unión Popular
567Unión FrenteamplistaPartido por la Victoria del Pueblo2,6640.64
9393Corriente de Unidad Frenteamplista2,3540.53
1968Partido Socialista de los Trabajadores-IV Internacional3870.09
871Partido Obrero Revolucionario (Trotskista-Posadista)3710.08
5205Movimiento 20 de Mayo1980.04
11815860.02
2571Agrupación 5 de Febrero de 1971230.01
Total: 447,313

Electoral results

Latest elections

 2009 Uruguayan parliamentary election results
Parties Votes % Seats
Chamber of
Deputies		 Senate
Broad Front 1,105,262 49.34 50 16
National Party 669,942 29.90 30 9
Colorado Party 392,307 17.51 17 5
Independent Party 57,360 2.56 2 —
Popular Assembly 15,428 0.69 — —
Total 2,240,299 100.00
Registered voters 2,563,250 89.86% turnout
Source: Corte Electoral

Presidential

Election year Candidate 1st round 2nd round
# of overall votes % of overall vote # of overall votes % of overall vote
1994 Tabaré Vázquez 621,226 30.6 (#3)
1999 Tabaré Vázquez 861,202 40.1 (#1) 982,049 45.9 (#2)
2004 Tabaré Vázquez 1,124,761 51.7 (#1)
2009 José Mujica 1,105,262 48.0 (#1) 1,197,638 52.4 (#1)
2014 Tabaré Vázquez 1,134,187 47.8 (#1) 1,226,105 56.2 (#1)

Parliament

Election year # of overall votes % of overall vote # of overall
Chamber seats won		 +/- # of overall
Senate seats won		 +/- Notes
1994 621,226 30.6 (#3)
31 / 99
9 / 31
1999 861,202 40.1 (#1)
40 / 99
 Increase 9
12 / 31
 Increase 3
2004 1,124,761 51.7 (#1)
52 / 99
 Increase 12
17 / 31
 Increase 5
2009 1,093,869 47.5 (#1)
50 / 99
 Decrease 2
16 / 30
 Decrease 1
2014 1,134,187 49.45 (#1)
50 / 99
 Steady 0
15 / 30
 Decrease 1

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Gregory, Stephen (2009), Intellectuals and Left Politics in Uruguay, 1958-2006, Sussex Academic Press, p. 129
  2. ↑ Gregory, Stephen (2009), Intellectuals and Left Politics in Uruguay, 1958-2006, Sussex Academic Press, p. 4
  3. ↑ Mainwaring, Scott; Scully, Timothy R. (2003), "The Diversity of Christian Democracy in Latin America", Christian Democracy in Latin America, Stanford University Press, p. 49
  4. ↑ Schooley, Helen (2001), "Uruguay — History", South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2002, Europa Publications, p. 760
  5. ↑ Busky, Donald F. (2002), Communism in History and Theory: Asia, Africa, and the Americas, Praeger Publishers, p. 224
  6. ↑ Vázquez leaves Socialist Party
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