Former guerrilla looks poised for power in Uruguay

A blunt-talking former guerrilla seeking to maintain the left’s hold on power in Uruguay easily got the most votes in presidential elections, but failed to win the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Jose “Pepe” Mujica got about 48% of the votes compared to 30% for former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, a free-marketeer who wants to cut government and taxes and reduce alliances with Latin American leftists.