Original: Spanish
The Socialist International Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean, meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia, on 7 and 8 May 2004, welcomes the unity of the Uruguayan progressive parties in support of the presidential candidature of Dr. Taberé Vásquez, who also counts on the support of the two SI member parties, the Socialist Party of Uruguay and the New Space party.
We also hope that these progressive Uruguayan forces will succeed in achieving the national government in the next elections in October so that better living conditions for the Uruguayan people can be secured and the country can overcome the deep crisis caused by the neo-liberal policies adopted in the last few decades by the traditional Uruguayan parties in government.
This Committee and the Socialist International will, as they usually do, closely follow the forthcoming electoral campaign, in the hope that it will be carried out with the transparency that has characterised the electoral traditions of this country.