Uruguay's once-dull election has become a dead heat in the presidential runoff

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguayans will return to the polls on Sunday for a second round of voting to choose their next president, with the conservative governing party and the left-leaning coalition locked in a close runoff after failing to win an outright majority in last month's vote.

The election has turned into a hard-fought race between Álvaro Delgado, the incumbent party's candidate, and Yamandú Orsi from the Broad Front, a coalition of leftist and center-left parties that governed for 15 years until the 2019 victory of center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou. It oversaw the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and the sale of marijuana in the small South American nation.

Orsi's Broad Front took 44% of the vote while Delgado's National Party won just 27% in the first round of voting Oct. 27. But the other conservative parties that make up the government coalition — in particular, the Colorado Party — notched 20% of the vote collectively, enough to give Delgado an edge over his challenger this time around.

Congress ended up evenly split in the October vote. Most polls have shown a virtual tie between Delgado and Orsi, with nearly 10% of Uruguayan voters undecided even at this late stage.

Analysts say the candidates' lackluster campaigns and broad consensus on key issues have helped generate extraordinary voter indecision and apathy in an election dominated by discussions about taxes and social spending but largely free of the anti-establishment rage that has vaulted populist outsiders to power elsewhere.

“The question of whether Frente Amplio (the Broad Front) raises taxes is not an existential question, unlike what we saw in the U.S. with Trump and Kamala framing each other as threats to democracy," said Nicolás Saldías, a Latin America and Caribbean senior analyst for the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. “That doesn't exist in Uruguay.”

Both candidates are also appealing to voter angst over a surge in violent crime that has shaken a nation long regarded as one of the region’s most safe and stable.

Delgado, 55, a rural veterinarian with a long career in the National Party, campaigned on a vow to continue the legacy of current President Lacalle Pou — in some ways making the election into a referendum on his leadership. He campaigned under the slogan “re-elect a good government."

While a string of corruption scandals briefly tainted Lacalle Pou's government last year, the president — who constitutionally cannot run for a second consecutive term — now enjoys high approval ratings and a strong economy expected to grow 3.2% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Delgado served most recently as Secretary of the Presidency for Lacalle Pou and promises to press on with his predecessor's pro-business, market-friendly policies. His coalition would likely continue pursuing a prospective trade deal with China that has raised hackles in Mercosur, an alliance of South American countries that promotes regional commerce.

Orsi, 57, a former history teacher and two-time mayor from a working-class background, is widely seen as an heir to iconic former President José “Pepe” Mujica, a former Marxist guerilla who boosted Uruguay's profile as one of the region's most socially liberal and environmentally sustainable nations during his 2010-2015 term.

“He was born from ordinary workers," Mujica said in a closing campaign ad for Orsi. “He represents, precisely, the average type of what Uruguay is.”

Promising to forge a “new left” in Uruguay, Orsi has proposed tax incentives to lure investment and industrial policy to boost Uruguay’s critical agricultural sector.

He has also floated social security reforms that would buck the demographic trend in lowering the retirement age but fall short of a radical overhaul sought by Uruguay's unions.

The contentious plebiscite on whether to boost pension payouts failed to pass in October, with Uruguayans rejecting generous pensions in favor of fiscal constraint.

Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Villa Tunari, Bolivia, contributed to this report.

A ray of light illuminates a poster of Frente Amplio presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi on a street wall covered in ads ahead of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A poster of Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, covers a building ahead of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Supporters of Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, attend his closing rally ahead of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)

Alvaro Delgado, presidential candidate for the ruling National Party, holds his closing rally ahead of the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)

Children hold up masks of Frente Amplio presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi as they wait for the start of his closing rally ahead of the presidential run-off election in Las Piedras, Uruguay, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Frente Amplio presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi holds his closing rally ahead of the presidential run-off election in Las Piedras, Uruguay, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Supporters of Broad Front coalition presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi campaign one day ahead of the presidential run-off election, in Montevideo, Uruguay, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

FILE - This photo combo shows presidential frontrunner Yamandu Orsi, left, of the Broad Front coalition, on Oct. 22, 2024, and opponent, National Party candidate Alvaro Delgado, on Nov. 20, 2024, both in Montevideo, Uruguay. (AP Photo Matilde Campodonico, left; and AP Photo Santiago Mazzarovich, File)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Barbra Banda scored in the 37th minute to give the Orlando Pride their first National Women’s Soccer League championship with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit on Saturday night.

Banda dribbled into the right side of the box and made a move past a defender before kicking the ball on the ground with her left foot and past the goalkeeper. She became the first player in the NWSL to score in each round of the playoffs.

The Pride's Angelina was nearly called for a push before passing it to Banda, but the VAR determined that the play was fair.

The Spirit (20-7-2) controlled the game and outshot the Pride 25-9, had two more shots on goal and held onto possession 58% of the time. Rosemonde Kouassi had Washington’s best chance in the 47 minute when she headed a ball from about 10 yards away.

Orlando's win gave Brazilian star Marta her first NWSL title.

Top-seed Orlando (21-6-2) went unbeaten in its first 23 matches, a league record. They beat the Kansas City Current in the semifinals before hoisting the trophy at CPKC Stadium, their home field.

Orlando is the first team since 2019 to win the Shield and the title in the same year.

Washington had won its last five playoff games when trailing at the half, but that streak was broken with this loss.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda (22) runs past Washington Spirit defender Tara McKeown (9) during the second half of the NWSL championship at CPKC Stadium, Saturday, November 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, center, raises her MVP trophy after the team defeated the Washington Spirit in the NWSL championship soccer game at CPKC Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Orlando Pride forward Marta (10) and Washington Spirit midfielder Leicy Santos (10) battle for the ball during the first half of the NWSL championship at CPKC Stadium, Saturday, November 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, in grey, clears the ball during the first half of the NWSL championship at CPKC Stadium against the Orlando Pride, Saturday, November 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina, left, battles Washington Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt, right, for a ball during the first half of the NWSL championship at CPKC Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Orlando Pride forward Marta (10) leaps into the air to make a play on a ball in front of Washington Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt, right, during the first half of the NWSL championship at CPKC Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina, center, celebrates her assist on a goal by Pride forward Barbra Banda with teammate Pride defender Cori Dyke (31) during the first half of the NWSL championship at CPKC Stadium against the Washington Spirit, Saturday, November 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Orlando Pride forwards Marta, center, and Barbra Banda, right, lift the NWSL championship trophy together after defeating the Washington Spirit in an NWSL soccer game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)