International
Uruguay goes to the polls this Sunday to elect president and legislators
About 2.7 million citizens will go to the polls this Sunday to vote for the president and legislators of Uruguay for the period 2025-2030, as well as to pronounce on two plebiscites.
At 8:00 local time (11:00 GMT) voting centers throughout the country will open and voters will be able to vote until 19:30 local time (22:30 GMT), although this could be extended by an hour in case there are still people lining up at the polling stations.
In this instance, in which voting is secret and mandatory, as set by the National Constitution, eleven political parties will seek the Presidency.
The candidates for the Presidency of Uruguay
These are the Broad Front (Yamandú Orsi), the National Party (Álvaro Delgado), the Colorado Party (Andrés Ojeda), the Open Council (Guido Manini Ríos), the Independent Party (Pablo Mieres) and the Radical Intransigent Environmental Party (César Vega).
Also, Sovereign Identity (Gustavo Salle), Popular Assembly (Walter Martínez), the Environmental Constitutional Party (Eduardo Lust), the Party for the Necessary Changes (Guillermo Franchi) and Republican Advance (Martín Pérez Banchero).
To become the successor of the current president, Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou, any of the candidates must get more than 50% of the valid votes. Otherwise, the two most voted will advance to a second round, which will take place on Sunday, November 24.
The formation of the Parliament will be defined
Beyond this, this Sunday’s instance will define the formation of Parliament for the period 2025-2030.
Each party will present in the elections its different lists made up of its candidates to integrate the Chamber of Senators (30 members) plus the Vice President of the Republic) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 members).
On the other hand, voters will vote on two plebiscites: one on social security and another on night raids.
Promoted by the PIT-CNT trade union center and supported by social groups, the first of these seeks to change the social security regime of Uruguay, which was changed by law in 2023.
The plebiscites
The amendment proposes – among other things – the equivalence of retirements and pensions to the national minimum wage, in addition to the possibility that both men and women can access retirement at 60 years of age instead of 65.
In turn, it seeks to eliminate the administrators of social security savings funds so that the Social Security system is managed exclusively by the State.
The second seeks to allow raids at night, which are currently prohibited by article 11 of the National Constitution. He emphasizes that the home is a sacred inviolable and that at night no one will be able to enter it without the consent of their boss.
With the campaign closures carried out days ago, Uruguay of about 3.4 million inhabitants is currently in electoral ban.
Prohibitions
Since Friday, October 25, the parties cannot carry out acts of proselytist propaganda, as indicated by Law 16,019, which was promulgated in 1989.
On the other hand, from this Saturday the sale of alcohol is prohibited, which cannot be carried out until the voting circuits are closed.
This Sunday, around 21:30 local time (00:30 GMT), the consultants are expected to announce their first projections of the results, while the Electoral Court will begin to upload them on its official website as they are sent from the polling stations.
After being known, the candidates will participate in events in the places where they will wait for them, while in the capital of the country there are already areas of celebrations.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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