(26 Oct 2014) Uruguayans were choosing a new president on Sunday in a contest that could also determine the future of the country's pioneering marijuana law.
Outgoing President Jose Mujica led Uruguay through economic prosperity and gained worldwide acclaim for social reforms such as the legalisation of marijuana and gay marriage.
His left-leaning Broad Front coalition leads in the election to replace him, but victory in the first round is far from certain.
Polls suggest that Broad Front candidate Tabare Vazquez, 74, will fall short of the absolute majority, forcing a runoff next month.
His main challenger is centre-right National Party candidate Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou, the son of a former president.
If elected, Lacalle Pou, promises to tackle rising crime, improve education and modify the law that Mujica spearheaded to create the world's first national marketplace for legal marijuana.
Although he would still allow consumers to grow the plants at home for personal use, he would end the government's role in the production and sales of pot.
Vazquez, Pou and Mujica were seen casting their ballots on Sunday.
Outside the polling centres, a variety of topics dominated conversation, with many saying they were looking for a leader who can provide the basic necessities for the country to move forward.
The Broad Front, a coalition of centre-leftists, communists and former guerrilla leaders, had 44 percent support of voters going into the election, according to a survey of 2,008 voters taken October 4-19 by Uruguayan pollster Factum.
The National Party was second at 32 percent, while support for the right-wing Colorado party was 15 percent. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
Rising crime has also raised security concerns among the South American nation's 3.2 million citizens.
As for education, Uruguay's students have tested among the worst in the world for mathematics, science and reading comprehension.
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