MONTEVIDEO 28 Oct (ANA) - Uruguay's two leading presidential candidates are to face off in a runoff in late November based on preliminary results from the national electoral body.

 

With over 97 percent of the vote counted by 2:20 a.m.(0520 GMT) Monday morning, ruling Broad Front candidate Daniel Martinez, a former mayor of the capital Montevideo, led the race with about 40.6 percent of the vote, followed by National Party opposition candidate Luis Lacalle Pou with 29.7 percent, the electoral court of Uruguay said.

 

If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the two with the most votes will meet in a runoff on Nov. 24.

 

Outgoing President Tabare Vazquez will not be running, as presidents are barred by law from serving consecutive terms.

 

Nearly 2.7 million Uruguayans were registered to vote.(ANA)

FA/ANA/28 October 2019-------