Broad Front (Uruguay) in the context of 2009 Uruguayan general election

The Colorado Party (Spanish: Partido Colorado, lit. 'Red Party', PC) is a major political party in Uruguay. Founded in 1836 by General Fructuoso Rivera, the first president of Uruguay, it is one of the country's oldest active political parties along with the National Party, their origin dates back to the establishment of Uruguay as an independent state.

Traditionally an ideologically diverse party it nowadays sits in the centre-right side of the political spectrum. Their current position in the Uruguayan political landscape is conditioned by the coalition they have formed with their historic adversary, the National Party, in opposition to the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), the latter being a leftist coalition formed in the early 1970s that has become, since the 1999 election, the most-voted electoral force in the country, reshaping Uruguayan electoral politics and displacing the Colorado Party from its traditional position of dominance to becoming the third party in the country, behind the National Party.

Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas (Spanish pronunciation: [taβaˈɾe raˈmom ˈbaskes ˈrosas]; 17 January 1940 – 6 December 2020) was a Uruguayan politician and oncologist who served as the 39th and 41st President of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2020. During his political career, Vázquez was a member of the Broad Front coalition. Before his first presidential term, Vázquez was president of the Club Progreso team and made two unsuccessful presidential bids in 1994 and 1999. He served as Intendant of Montevideo between 1990 and 1994 shortly before his first presidential campaign.

Vázquez was first elected president on 31 October 2004 and took office on 1 March 2005. He was the first socialist president of the country. His first presidency was remembered for his diplomatic relationships with Brazil and Argentina while being criticized by his party over his anti-abortion views. He strengthened the unions and improved Uruguay's social services. After leaving the presidency in 2010, Vázquez successfully ran for a second term in 2014. After leaving office for a second time in March 2020, he later died of lung cancer in December of that year at the age of 80.

General elections were held in Uruguay on 31 October 2004, alongside a constitutional referendum. The result was a victory for the Broad Front, marking the first time a party other than the Colorado Party or National Party had held power since the two parties were formed in the 1830s.

Broad Front leader Tabaré Vázquez was elected president on his third attempt after his party won just over 50% of the vote, enough for him to win the presidency in a single round. To date, this is the only time that a presidential election has been decided without a runoff since the two-round system was introduced in 1999. The Broad Front also won majorities in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (20 May 1935 – 13 May 2025) was a Uruguayan politician, revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and imprisoned for 14 years during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. A member of the Broad Front coalition of left-wing parties, Mujica was the minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries from 2005 to 2008 and a senator afterwards. As the candidate of the Broad Front, he won the 2009 presidential election and took office as president on 1 March 2010.

Mujica's administration implemented a range of progressive policies, including the decriminalization of abortion, the legalization of marijuana consumption and the legalization of same-sex marriage. Additional measures strengthened the country's trade unions and significantly bolstered minimum wages.