Broad Front (Uruguay) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Broad Front Frente Amplio
President	Fernando Pereira
Founder	Líber Seregni
Founded	5 February 1971; 54 years ago (1971-02-05)
Headquarters	Colonia 1367, Montevideo
Ideology	Democratic socialism Socialism of the 21st century Progressivism
Political position	Left-wing
Regional affiliation	COPPPAL São Paulo Forum
International affiliation	Socialist International Progressive Alliance
Colors	Red      Blue      White
Chamber of Deputies	42 / 99
Senate	13 / 30
Intendencias	3 / 19
Mayors	32 / 125
Party flag

The Broad Front (which in Spanish is Frente Amplio, or FA) is a big group of political parties in Uruguay. It is known for its left-wing ideas. This group was in charge of Uruguay from 2005 to 2020. During that time, two presidents came from the Broad Front: José Mujica (2010–2015) and Tabaré Vázquez (2005–2010; 2015–2020). Since 1999, the Broad Front has been the largest political group in Uruguay's main law-making body, the General Assembly.

History of the Broad Front

The Broad Front started in 1971. It was a mix of more than a dozen smaller left-leaning parties and groups. The first leader and presidential candidate for the Broad Front was General Liber Seregni.

In 1973, the military took control of Uruguay. This event is called a coup d'état. The Broad Front was made illegal during this time. When democracy returned to Uruguay in 1984, the Broad Front became active again.

How the Broad Front Grew

Over time, the Broad Front joined forces with other groups. In 1994, a group called Progressive Encounter (Encuentro Progresista) was formed. It included several smaller independent groups and the Broad Front. They started running in elections together. Later, another group called Nuevo Espacio also joined them. This made their election name even longer!

In 2005, these different groups officially merged into the Broad Front. This made the Broad Front even stronger.

Today, the Broad Front is made up of many different groups. Some of the main ones are:

• Uruguay Assembly (Asamblea Uruguay)
• Socialist Party of Uruguay (Partido Socialista del Uruguay)
• Communist Party of Uruguay (Partido Comunista del Uruguay)
• New Space (Nuevo Espacio)
• Movement of Popular Participation (Movimiento de Participación Popular)
• Christian Democratic Party of Uruguay (Partido Demócrata Cristiano del Uruguay)

Challenges Before 2004

Before the 2004 election, Uruguay faced big economic problems. In the 1990s, the government tried to modernize the country quickly. This led to the value of Uruguay's money (the peso) going down. Also, laws that protected banking secrets made it easier for illegal money to be hidden in Uruguayan banks.

By the year 2000, many people in Uruguay had to work in unofficial jobs just to get by. In 2002, an economic crisis from nearby Brazil and Argentina also hit Uruguay hard. The country's economy struggled because it wasn't producing enough goods. The Broad Front started campaigning for the 2004 election during this difficult time.

The Broad Front became a major political force in the 1994 elections. Their candidate, Tabaré Vázquez, got the most votes individually. However, because of an old election rule, he didn't become president. The Broad Front still gained many seats in the parliament.

This old rule was changed for the 1999 elections. Tabaré Vázquez again led in the first round of voting. But he lost in the final round because other parties teamed up against him. Still, the Broad Front became the biggest party in the parliament.

Broad Front in Power: 2004-2019

The Broad Front won the 2004 election. This was the first time a left-leaning party gained power in Uruguay. They won because they offered more balanced policies. They also promised to improve social programs, which helped them connect with working-class people. Many people were tired of the old economic ways.

When Tabaré Vázquez became president in 2005, he worked to build stronger relationships with other countries in Latin America. He also started a large program to help people out of poverty. This program was very important for gaining support from poorer families.

Uruguay needed economic help in 2005. About one-third of the country was living below the poverty line. A new Minister of Economics and Finance, Danilo Astori, helped a lot. He worked well with international groups and brought in money from other countries. This helped start new industries, like making paper pulp. Economic changes also included new rules for immigration and selling more beef to Europe.

New Leaders and Social Changes

The Broad Front continued to be popular. In the 2009 election, José Mujica, who was once a guerrilla fighter, became president. During his time, several new social laws were passed. For example, in 2013, a law allowing same-sex marriage was passed. The Broad Front strongly supported this.

The economy kept growing. Danilo Astori became the Vice President. He continued to encourage other countries to invest in Uruguay.

Tabaré Vázquez Returns

In the 2014 election, Tabaré Vázquez was elected president again. He won with over 56% of the votes in the second round. He beat the candidate from the National Party. During his second term, Vázquez faced some criticism. This was because he kept good relations with the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, even though there were concerns about human rights.

Losing Power in 2019

For the 2019 election, the Broad Front supported Daniel Martínez. Martínez won the first round of voting. However, he lost in the final round to Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou of the National Party. This was the first time in 15 years that the Broad Front lost an election. They also lost their majority in the parliament, but they remained the largest single party.

Groups Leaving the Broad Front

Even though the Broad Front has grown by adding new groups, some groups have also left over time:

• In 1989, two parties left to form a new, more moderate group.
• In 1993, a far-left group split off to become its own political party.
• In 2006, some other far-left groups left and formed a new alliance called Popular Unity.

What the Broad Front Believes In

The Broad Front is mostly made up of groups that believe in progressive ideas. This means they want to make society better by supporting things like:

• Fairness for all people.
• Strong democracy.
• Fighting against unfair power structures.
• Opposing control by powerful foreign countries.
• Working against racism and unfair treatment based on gender.

In terms of money and jobs, they often support social-democratic or democratic socialist policies. This means they want more government programs to help people, like better healthcare and education.

Within the Broad Front, there are different viewpoints. Some groups are more social-liberal, some follow Marxist ideas, some are communist, and some are eco-socialist. However, not all groups in the Broad Front are strictly left-wing. Some smaller groups have more traditional ideas about money or social issues. For example, the groups led by Danilo Astori and Rafael Michelini are seen as more in the middle. Astori, as finance minister, sometimes made choices that were careful with government spending.

Elections the Broad Front Has Been In

Presidential Elections

Election	Candidate	Running mate	Votes	%	Votes	%	Result
			First Round		Second Round
1971	Líber Seregni	Juan José Crottogini	304,275	18.3%			Lost
1984	Juan José Crottogini	José D'Elía	401,104	21.3%			Lost
1989	Liber Seregni	Danilo Astori	418,403	20.35%			Lost
1994	Tabaré Vázquez	Rodolfo Nin Novoa	621,226	30.6%			Lost
1999			861,202	40.1%	982,049	45.9%	Lost
2004			1,124,761	51.7%			Elected Y
2009	José Mujica	Danilo Astori	1,105,262	47.96%	1,197,638	54.63%	Elected Y
2014	Tabaré Vázquez	Raúl Sendic	1,134,187	47.81%	1,226,105	53.48%	Elected Y
2019	Daniel Martínez	Graciela Villar	949,376	40.49%	1,152,271	49.21%	Lost

Parliament Elections (Chamber of Deputies and Senate)

Election	Votes	%	Chamber seats	+/−	Senate seats	+/−	Position	Size
1971	304,275	18.3%	18 / 99	New	5 / 30	New	Opposition	3rd
1984	401,104	21.3%	21 / 99	3	6 / 30	1	Opposition	3rd
1989	418,403	20.35%	21 / 99		7 / 30	1	Opposition	3rd
1994	621,226	30.8%	31 / 99	10	9 / 31	2	Opposition	3rd
1999	861,202	40.1%	40 / 99	9	12 / 30	3	Opposition	1st
2004	1,124,761	51.7%	52 / 99	12	17 / 30	5	Majority	1st
2009	1,105,262	47.96%	50 / 99	2	16 / 30	1	Majority	1st
2014	1,134,187	47.81%	50 / 99		15 / 30	1	Majority	1st
2019	949,376	40.49%	42 / 99	8	13 / 30	2	Opposition	1st

See also

In Spanish: Frente Amplio (Uruguay) para niños

• Politics of Uruguay