By EMILIO CAFASSI*
Uruguayan citizens have sufficient comparative elements based on their experience between progressivism and conservatism
Among the many highlights of the Uruguayan Broad Front, I will dwell, albeit briefly, on the outcome of its government program. I will leave for another opportunity a more detailed approach to the practically unprecedented process of drafting it, in which thousands of pens write in time with everyday history, gathering experiences and knowledge, contrasting reality with their own values, strategic objectives and principles, to finally converge in more than a thousand delegates in the mythical “Peñarol Palace” stadium, perfecting each amendment, polishing it to the last comma.
An act that, in addition to being exemplary as a demonstration of the power of collective elaboration in the face of the personalist authoritarianism of endogamous and exclusionary knowledge and charismatic leaders, becomes an extremely pleasant, creative and enriching experience, as well as one of cohesion among the participants.
Once completed, it will allow all citizens not only to clearly foresee their five-year future, avoiding the uncertainties and surprises that have unleashed the Pandora's box of the right-wing coalition with the urgently needed laws on social security and the media, in addition to its daily policies of social devastation. This is not a mere political marketing gimmick or a siren song of propagandist seduction, but a true work plan, the results of which can and should be corroborated at every step. We will try to fly over them.
Even in general terms, we can see that, although there are pending tasks and areas that progress more slowly in each government administration, the degree of correlation and fidelity with which the initiatives were carried out and the achievements formulated in the successive programs were obtained is particularly revealing. Without being exhaustive, I try to reflect this in the table below.
Since the first government administration, the Broad Front has reformulated its objectives in successive administrations, like a river that flows adapting to the curves of its bed, demonstrating a remarkable capacity for accommodation and evolution of its priorities, always maintaining as an immovable base a solid foundation of social justice.
This base was enriched with new elements, especially in the 2010 and 2015 programs, such as sustainability, innovation and the expansion of rights, now projecting its gaze towards the horizon of 2025. Its objective is not only to respond to the immediate demands of society, but also to anticipate and prepare the country for the threats and challenges that lie ahead.
Some measures, laws and achievements (2005-2020)
| Success/Achievement | Law/Provision/Policy | Year |
| Ceibal Plan | Law 18.640 (Decree 444/2007) | 2007 |
| FONASA (National Health Fund) | 18.211 Law | 2007 |
| Tax reform | 18.083 Law | 2007 |
| Salary Councils | 18.566 Law | 2009 |
| Emergency Plan and creation of MIDES (Ministry of Social Development) | 17.866 Law | 2005 |
| Creation of Bank Deposit Insurance | 17.613 Law | 2003 |
| Strengthening Financial Supervision | 18.401 Law | 2008 |
| Smoking Ban in Public Places | Decree 268 / 2005 | 2005 |
| Legalization of Marijuana | 19.172 Law | 2013 |
| Equal Marriage | 19.075 Law | 2013 |
| Legal Abortion | 18.987 Law | 2012 |
| Energy Matrix | 18.585 Law | 2009 |
| Entrance to Barracks for excavations | Decree 131 / 2006 | 2006 |
| Military Trial (DD.HH.) | 18.831 Law | 2011 |
| Macroeconomic Stability | macroeconomic policies | - |
| Sustained Growth | Economic policies | - |
| Poverty Reduction | social programs | - |
| Reduction in Infant Mortality | Public health policies | - |
| Sustained Wage Growth | Salary Councils | 2009 |
| Increase in Enrollment at UTU and University | Educational policies | - |
| Creation of UTEC (Technological University) | 19.043 Law | 2012 |
| University decentralization | Educational policies | - |
| Together Plan | Housing program | - |
| Eradication of some “cantegriles” (irregular settlements) | Housing policies | - |
| Gender Policies | Various laws | - |
| Access to Public Information Act | 18.381 Law | 2008 |
| Strengthening the Anti-Corruption Board | 17.060 Law | 1998 |
| Uruguay as a Tourist Destination | Campaigns and policies | - |
| Digital Government | Various initiatives | - |
| Creation of ANII (National Agency for Research and Innovation) | Science policies | - |
| Care System | 19.353 Law | 2015 |
| Assisted Fertilization Law | 19.167 Law | 2013 |
| Full Time Schools | Educational policies | - |
| Increase in CAIF (Child and Family Care Centers) | Childhood policies | - |
| Creation of FONDES (Development Fund) | 19.337 Law | 2015 |
| Corporate Responsibility Law | 19.196 Law | 2013 |
| Improvement of Public Hospital Structures | Various investments | - |
| New National Police and PADO (High Operational Dedication Program) | 19.315 Law | 2015 |
| Eye Hospital | Health policies | - |
| SODRE Building (Official Broadcasting, Presentations and Shows Service) and National Ballet | Cultural investments | - |
| Internet and Data Center Services | Infrastructure investments | - |
| Eight Hours for the Rural Worker | 18.441 Law | 2008 |
| Domestic Employment | 18.065 Law | 2006 |
| Financial Inclusion | 19.210 Law | 2014 |
| Efficiency of Public Spending | Various tax policies | - |
| PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Installation | Various investments in health | - |
In a little more detail, the Broad Front, in its government program for 2005-2010, proposed to reverse the deep wounds that the neoliberal model, supported by successive Colorado and white governments since the fall of the dictatorship, had left in the social fabric. The extreme worsening of poverty, galloping inequality and social disintegration, exacerbated during the government of Jorge Batlle after the 2002 crisis, required a radical transformation.
In this sense, the Broad Front proposed an important change, based on the transformation of the State and society, the drive towards a productive country, the implementation of inclusive social policies and a sovereign international insertion. Its plan focused on strengthening national sovereignty, promoting social justice and rebuilding the productive apparatus with a focus on human development, equity and citizen participation, projecting a solidary and sustainable country for the future.
Nothing revolutionary, but profoundly reformist and consistent with its original anti-oligarchic and anti-imperialist foundations. Examples of its implementation include the creation of the National Health Fund (FONASA), together with the reform of the health system and the anti-smoking policy, the emblematic Ceibal Plan, which provided computers to all elementary school students, the tax reform, the Wage Council, the creation of the Ministry of Social Development, the 8-hour laws for domestic and rural work, the diversification of the energy matrix and the impactful and dignified policy of entering the barracks to search for the remains of the disappeared.
The government program for the following period, 2010-2015, focused on consolidating the achievements of the first government and deepening structural reforms to ensure sustainable and equitable development. It highlighted the need to maintain macroeconomic stability, promote competitiveness and innovation, and strengthen social policies to continue reducing poverty and inequality.
Equity in the distribution of income and wealth has been consolidated as a fundamental pillar, together with the active participation of the State in the economy. Furthermore, progress in decentralization and citizen participation have been advocated as the driving forces for a more inclusive Uruguay.
During this period, the Technological University was born, marijuana use and abortion were decriminalized, same-sex marriage was instituted, trials of military personnel accused of crimes against humanity began, and laws on assisted fertilization, financial inclusion, political decentralization, and citizen participation were enacted. Of course, wage increases and the expansion of social services were deepened, in addition to the law on corporate criminal liability.
The program for the third term of government (2015-2020) aimed to consolidate the advances achieved in previous administrations, with a renewed emphasis on increasing production, with special attention to a sustainable energy matrix and environmental protection. This period revolved around the democratic transformation of the State and citizen participation, strengthening the foundations of a more inclusive society. Examples of these aspects are the care system and the creation of the Development Fund.
The defeat in 2019, which opened the doors to the current right-wing coalition government, frustrated the implementation of the program planned for the five-year period 2020-2025, a program structured around five fundamental challenges: development, equality and diversity, integration and inclusion, democracy and regional and international insertion.
This program insisted, more than ever, on a development model that guaranteed the expansion of freedoms and capabilities of society, while maintaining a delicate and complex balance between economic growth and environmental protection. It advocated, more intensely, the promotion of innovation, science and the responsible use of natural resources.
Furthermore, it proposed to reduce social inequalities, with a special focus on children and adolescents, through comprehensive policies that coordinated efforts in education, health, housing and employment. In the area of equality, the program highlighted the need to address gender, ethnic and territorial inequalities, promoting policies that ensured equal opportunities for all.
The democratic transformation of the State and decentralization were the central axes, with the intention of strengthening citizen participation and improving the transparency and efficiency of the public sector. The program also considered the need for an institutional framework to face global challenges, such as climate change and the economic crisis, from a perspective of solidarity and sustainability. Today, however, Uruguay has become a more unequal, demobilized and demoralized country, losing its rights as it advances, like a social body that, with each step, leaves its members behind, wasting away in the open.
The program for the next five years could not fail to highlight the setbacks of the period that ended Lacalle Pou, especially in terms of gender equality and the protection of the rights of the most vulnerable groups, as well as the lack of an institutional framework to address global challenges such as climate change and the economic crisis. While the Lacalle Pou government prioritized neoliberal policies, with a strong bias towards privatization and fiscal adjustment, the FA proposes a development model that prioritizes sustainability, social inclusion and equity.
In a way, the current challenge resonates with echoes from two decades ago, in 2005, when the imperative need to innovate was intertwined with the urgency of healing the wounds opened by neoliberal policies and the magnitude of a persistent anti-popular offensive. Today, as then, the Broad Front proposes policies that generate quality employment and mitigate labor inequalities. In collective bargaining, it promotes real wage increases and social protection for all workers, regardless of the nature of their employment.
Reducing poverty and inequality is once again a fundamental focus, with emphasis on overcoming structural inequalities and transforming the tax system, with a view to a fairer and more equitable distribution of income. The program also addresses the crucial importance of sovereignty in strategic areas such as health, energy and technology. It proposes a foreign policy that not only strengthens regional integration, but also diversifies Uruguay's economic insertion in the world. At the domestic level, it insists on the need for a strong and modern State, capable of guaranteeing transparency, efficiency and, above all, citizen participation.
A central aspect of the document is the fair ecological transition, which seeks to reconcile economic development with environmental protection. A series of priority actions are proposed, such as transforming the production matrix to make it more sustainable, protecting ecosystems and promoting renewable energy. In addition, the importance of guaranteeing access to drinking water and basic sanitation as fundamental human rights is highlighted.
Innovation and science are seen as pillars of development, with emphasis on quality education and access to knowledge. The need to invest in research and development to solve national problems and promote knowledge-intensive sectors is highlighted. The document also calls for greater participation of women in science and for policies that promote gender equality in all areas.
Uruguayan citizens have at their disposal sufficient comparative elements based on their experience between progressivism and conservatism, between the expansion of rights and protections and the exclusionary violence of helplessness. But they also have at their disposal detailed collective elaborations of their immediate destiny, to confront with some splendor.
*Emilio Cafassi is senior professor of sociology at the University of Buenos Aires.
Translation: Fernando Lima das Neves.
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