Uruguayans vote for their next president on Sunday, but the election is set to be eclipsed by another ballot: a pension plebiscite that analysts have warned could cripple the nation’s finances.
Along with choosing a new president, 30 senators and 99 deputies, the electorate will also vote on two referendums. The first – which comes in response to rising fears over organised crime and public safety – would allow nighttime police raids on homes. But it is the second that is dominating headlines: a pension referendum that would overturn recent reforms, lower the retirement age by five years, tie pensions to the minimum wage and scrap private pension fund managers.
