Jose Mujica thinks Argentine politicians are stupid and that Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is an authoritarian. But the outspoken one-time leftist rebel finds himself the front-runner going into Sunday’s presidential election in Uruguay.

Polls indicate that no single candidate will gain a majority vote, however, so a runoff election is expected. — JCL

The Guardian:

A charismatic former guerrilla with a knack for insulting the rest of South America is favourite to win most votes in Uruguay’s presidential election today.

José Mujica, 74, has caught the imagination of the young and the poor with a blunt, folksy style and a promise to nudge the country leftwards.

Opinion polls put the former radical, who spent 14 years in jail during Uruguay’s dictatorship, ahead of rivals but suggested he would be forced into a run-off vote next month.

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