Uruguayan section of the Fourth International, to ask itations was removed, this would mean "a for his assessment of the events:
step backwards in the process of pacification and the construction of institutions in
ALTHOUGH the green vote prevailed in Montevideo and the yellow vote in the the country."
interior of the country, the worst results were in Montevideo. Here a massive green vote was expected, but in fact it only prevailed by about 100,000 votes. If
A desire to avoid even we refer back to the number of signatures obtained during the referendum campaign, we find that in Montevideo there were about 1.15 votes for each signaworse evils ture, but in the interior there were 1.5 votes per signature. The green vote would have won if the ratio of votes to signatures had been the same in Mon-
To put it another way, threats of a return to dictatorship, of insubordination by the
The result confirms the type of transition which is underway and will reinforce military and possible attacks on public order by the usual "subversives" were branthe traditional two-party system, especially if we take account of the split in the dished in order to intimidate the population.
The example of neighbouring Argentina,
There were big hopes for a victory for the green vote, and its defeat is obvirocked by a series of attempted military ously discouraging. There is some demoralization, particularly among the indecoups, was kept constantly in view. The pendent forces which were heavily involved in the campaign.
green vote prevailed in Montevideo, and it
The campaign for the green vote was unified, militant and involved a lot of rivaled the yellow vote in the interior of the people, despite the fact that, in our opinion, there were some political problems.
country.
There was, for example, an attempt to avoid drawing out the political content of
The military and the government won a green vote as an anti-government vote. Instead all the stress was put on the thanks to the votes of the most isolated and immorality of the Statute of Limitations and on the ethical reasons in favour of backward parts of the country, where peoits abolition. Above all, the opposition did not succeed in explaining to the public ple were terrified by the government's syswhat would happen if they won. The government launched a very powerful tematic propaganda. This was not a display campaign with the aim both of frightening people with the possibility of a military of whole-hearted support for the military coup and of underlining the futility of a green vote, given that the military would by broad layers of the population, but reprefuse to appear before civilian courts. Meanwhile, some opposition spokesperresented their desire to avoid even worse sons were ambivalent, for example arguing that it was necessary to try the milievils.
tary before pardoning them. But these mistakes were not responsible for the
The mobilization in favour of the green vote was not enough to overcome all the
Government blackmail and the fear of what might follow a green vote without obstacles, but the value of the 43% gained doubt played an important role in the victory of the yellow vote. But in our view under such difficult conditions should not the majority of those who cast a yellow vote were voting in favour of the stability be under-estimated. The result has inevitaof the existing system, which, despite everything, is perceived as being "demobly discouraged the most active sectors and has touched a very broad layer of the popu-
In the conditions in which the referendum took place, it is necessary to give lation that is profoundly affected by this the more than 800,000 green votes the weight that they deserve, even if they defeat. But the size of the support, nearly were not sufficient for victory. Nonetheless the immediate future will be very dif-
800,000 votes, offers the hope that the role of the military will not be forgotten, and that the Uruguayan people will be able to overcome this partial defeat in the struggles yet to come. * tevideo as it was in the interior.
Frente Amplio.' defeat.
cratic".
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19 May 29, 1989 • #164 International Viewpoint