The Americas | Much obliged

Millions in the West want mandatory voting. Are they right?

Evidence of its impact is surprisingly concentrated in a single region

Illustration of a large hand pointing or pushing a person toward a red voting booth with curtains.
Illustration: Ben Hickey
|MONTEVIDEO

Editor’s note: Following elections in Uruguay on October 27th, Yamandú Orsi and Álvaro Delgado will face each other in a run-off for the presidency on November 24th. Uruguayans overwhelmingly voted against pension reforms.

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This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Much obliged”

From the October 26th 2024 edition

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Uruguay's centre-left presidential candidate Yamandu Orsi.

Is Uruguay too stable for its own good?

The new president must deal with serious problems with growth, education and crime

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to members of the media.

Bolsonaro’s bid to regain Brazil’s presidency may end in prison

Brazilian police have accused some of his backers of involvement not just in a coup, but in an assassination plot


A worker holds a salmon inside a salmon hatchery in Puerto Montt, Chile.

The mafia’s latest bonanza: salmon heists

Fish farming is big business in Chile. Stealing fish is, too


Parlacen, a bizarre parliament, is a refuge for bent politicians

A seat in the Central American body offers immunity from prosecution

Brazil courts China as its Musk feud erupts again

Xi Jinping, China’s leader, spies a chance to draw Brazil closer

Brazil’s gangsters have been getting into politics

They want friendly officials to help them launder money