Uruguayans voted Sunday in presidential elections with a leftist favored to unseat the incumbent conservative, although a runoff looked likely.
Crime is the main concern among people in this small Latin American country with high per-capita income and low levels of poverty compared to the rest of South America. But violence stemming from drug trafficking is on the rise.
Eleven men are seeking the job to replace outgoing center-right president Luis Lacalle Pou. He has a 50 percent approval rating and is barred from seeking a second five-year term.
Yamandu Orsi, a history professor representing the leftist opposition party Frente Amplio, is out ahead of the pack, with expected support from up to 47 percent of the electorate.
Orsi is seen as the understudy to an aging former president, Jose Mujica, a former leftist guerrilla.
The next strongest candidate is Alvaro Delgado, a 55-year-old veterinarian representing the ruling conservative coalition, with 20 to 25 percent of the votes.
If no one wins more than 50 percent of the votes on Sunday, a runoff will be held on November 24.
Voters were also choosing a new congress in Sunday's election and voting in two referendums, the most controversial of which would lower the retirement age from 65 to 60 and outlaw private retirement pension plans.
The other would give police more leeway to raid people's homes in the fight against crime.