Uruguay and the (problematic) construction of consensus: Social assistance and collective bargaining under the Frente Amplio government (2005-2007)

Abstract

After the triumph of Frente Amplio (Broad Front) in 2005 and its assumption of government in Uruguay, citizens awaited expectantly for the moment of progressive changes in the country. However, two years later, the Frente Amplio administration is confronting a dilemma: government actions continue to meet majority acceptance, however important social sectors are beginning to express their discontent. This article aims at analyzing this paradoxical situation, providing a short description of the history of the Frente Amplio from its origins until today and going deeper into the social assistance and collective negotiation policies that were implemented during the first half of Dr. Vázquez’s government.