海角大神

Latin America鈥檚 model of modest leadership

The region鈥檚 response to the death of a beloved former president in Uruguay underscores how that nation鈥檚 values have inspired democratic norms across the Americas.

A person holds an image of Uruguay's former President Jose "Pepe" Mujica during a procession for him in Montevideo, Uruguay, May 14.

Reuters

May 15, 2025

Low-key. Honest. Humble. Egalitarian. Such descriptors abounded from leaders around Latin America after the death this week of Jos茅 鈥淧epe鈥 Mujica, Uruguay鈥檚 leftist-rebel-turned-philosopher-president.

These traits could also be applied to Uruguayan society more generally. And they offer clues to why this small South American nation is a bastion of democracy in a politically unstable region.

With a tinge of wistful envy, other Latin Americans jest that Uruguayans lack 鈥渄rama.鈥 Tongue in cheek, a Peruvian novelist observed in Vanity Fair, 鈥淲henever [Uruguayans] have a national conflict, they solve it by referendum.鈥 A journalist from more volatile Argentina has joked, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how they put up with us as neighbors.鈥澛犅

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In a more serious vein, a Panamanian analyst ranked Uruguay鈥檚 democracy as 鈥渁mong the best in the world.鈥 A leading Chilean university hosted a conference on Uruguay as a model of strong economic growth alongside strong social protections.

Mr. Mujica once told The Economist that the 鈥渆normous advantages鈥 of democracy is that 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 believe itself to be finished or perfect.鈥澛

The country enjoys relatively high per capita income, low inequality, and high social cohesion. Like elsewhere in Latin America, it is confronting rising crime from drug-related cartels. And like its neighbors, Uruguay has experienced civil war (though not since 1904) and nearly 12 years of military rule (which ended in 1985). It emerged from both with foundational reforms, including free education.

With voting compulsory, all Uruguayans are 鈥forced to have a role in the democracy,鈥 the Harvard International Review noted in March. High participation, it said, 鈥渢ranslates into more confidence in political institutions.鈥 Which, in turn, appears to foster trust in leadership, whether the president of the moment is from the far left, as Mr. Mujica was; from the conservative end of the spectrum, as was his rival, Julio Mar铆a Sanguinetti; or left-leaning, like recently elected Yamand煤 Orsi.

An unwritten rule in Uruguay, Mr. Orsi told Americas Quarterly, is respect for the opposition. Mr. Mujica often voiced another one: 鈥淣o one is better than anyone else.鈥

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In fact, he and Mr. Sanguinetti made a conscious effort to model what civility can look like. Once sworn enemies, they bridged some divides, agreed to disagree on others, and even wrote a book together.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing special about Uruguay,鈥 Mr. Sanguinetti has said, with that characteristic national modesty. 鈥淚 think others can do this too.鈥