Frente Amplio Takes Power

Today marks the first day in Uruguay’s history that a leftist government has taken power. I’m sorry i’m missing the festivities. It would be something to see, instead i’m up in San Francisco, the belly of the beast, working.

Despite being the first leftist government in Uruguay’s history, it’s not the first progressive government. In the early 20th century President Batlle implemented a series of major social democratic reforms which established Uruguay’s public health, education, and welfare system.

Today Uruguay faces a difficult situation. The relatively well educated country has greatly expanding poverty which includes a about half of the country’s children. Uruguay has crippling international debt which IMF and World Bank are using to to dismantle the existing education system and replace with a more trades based system. Export earnings are favored over maintaining the cultural institutions which makes uruguayan society so rich. One of my favorite parts of montevideo aside from the historic tree lined streets, is it’s extensive network of international (non-gringo) cinemas and live theater.

It remains to be seen how much Frente Amplio will be able to do. On the agenda are eliminating poverty, decriminalizing abortion (illegal in all of latin america except cuba), and electoral reform. It is obligatory for uruguayans living in the country to vote, and impossible for the %15 of the population living in economic exile to vote. Almost all of the exiles support Frente Amplio, which would give the left solid majorities in future elections if they allow voting via mail or embassies.

What isn’t on the agenda is major economic restructuring. Uruguay’s economy is based on offshore banking and the export of cattle to the United States and Europe. The threat of another banking crisis limits the revival of the uruguayan banking sector. The agricultural sector could be crippled by Foot & Mouth or Mad Cow Disease at any time. It’s not a strong basis for an economic revival. There are some projects such as free trade zones which primarily serve as offices of international companies wanting a base in latin america doing high tech work.

Frente Amplio has already gotten in to hot water over it’s support of questionable development projects and a private port facility, the Cerro Free Port, funded by Reverend Moon. Frente is blessed with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, 10% last year and an estimated 6% to 8% for 2005 and the Uruguayan peso was the strongest gainer against the Dollar in January among world currencies. The economic strength comes from the bounce back of uruguayan and argentine economies after the deepest depression in the countries histories over the last several years.

Can Frente turn this economic revival around in to something which brings people out of poverty. The out going colorado government failed to, they got just %8 of the vote in the national elections in October. Hundreds of thousands of uruguayans where pushed in to poverty by the crisis but haven’t been pulled out of it by the recovery. There is some fear about the latin americanization of the uruguayan economic, which was the most economically egalitarian (outside of cuba). An economy which is dependent on export earnings and international trade (in financial services and cattle) is very vulnerable to the ‘virtual senate’, much more so than Venezuela which has the economic backing of the high price of oil. That economic independence is part of why Venezuela has actually gone forward with implementing real reforms while Brazil, Argentina, and as we will see Uruguay can not.

We will know the reality of Uruguay under Frente Amplio and the left’s reaction at two critical points. Once is in 6 months with the elder statesmen (and women) who lead the left since the 70’s retire. They are getting quite old and are put in control of the ministries out of respect for a lifetime of struggle. The ex-guerrilla MPP leader Mujica who spent the dictatorship in prison was briefly president of the senate and now is Minister of Agriculture. That’s like having Lenard Peltier being Senate Majority Leader in the US. Something which is frankly unthinkable. When these elders retire in 6 months it will be critical to see who replaces them. Will it be centrist technocrats or militants who have come up through the leftist parties which make up Frente Amplio?

Then in a year we will face another critical juncture. The Unions and other major social movements have a one year agreement not to hold major strikes or other acts of resistance to the Frente government. The idea is to give the government space to act and implement reforms. Sometimes when leftists have take power by elections, they’ve been crippled by strikes preventing reforms. We will see if the unions will come out on top, or get screwed by a government which has no ability to act against the powers of the virtual senate.

Frente Amplio controls the presidency, the senate, the lower house, and a significant portion of the departmental (state) governments. They are in control in uruguay, much more so than a %51 electoral victory might indicate. They have the hope and dreams of generations of uruguayans who have struggled, been tortured and killed, exiled, and organized for this day to happen.

Frente Amplio has a much greater control over the uruguayan left than the Workers Part (PT) in Brazil where MST has remained outside of the party organizing occupations and resistance despite the PT. What will happen to the left, what will happen to Frente. Will they be able to steer clear of neo-liberalism with a human face, will turn upon their own leftist parliamentarians like happened in brazil, will the left come out stronger or weaker. Unlike much of latin america, uruguay has a long and established anarchist tradition with connections to a well established network of pirate radio stations and self managed community soup kitchens (ollas populares). How will we, the left more radical than frente, react. That’s a question which i wish i could see unfold in person.