MONTEVIDEO: An ideological clash pitting an ex-guerrilla leader against a former economy minister is gripping Uruguay’s leftist ruling coalition as it tries to hold on to power in this year’s presidential election.

Uruguayans will pick a successor to popular President Tabare Vazquez, the country’s first socialist leader, in an October election.

But his Broad Front coalition – a sometimes unruly group of socialists, former guerrillas and other leftist parties – is divided between two leading candidates, and a conservative opposition party is mounting a growing challenge.

“There have always been contradictions in the coalition, but the fact that they are facing what appears could be a tight race is accentuating those differences,” said Teresa Herrera, a political analyst.

As left-wing leaders came to power in Latin America in recent years, Vazquez won praise for his moderate leadership in this beef-exporting country bordering Argentina and Brazil.

Vazquez is barred by the constitution from seeking a second consecutive term. Polls show his coalition remains the favourite to retain the presidency, but an ugly battle ahead of its June primary could weaken its chances, analysts and pollsters say.

Three candidates are competing for the coalition’s nomination but two have emerged as front-runners. One is Jose Mujica, a 74-year-old folksy senator who led the Tupamaros National Liberation guerrilla movement and was jailed during Uruguay’s 1973-85 military dictatorship.

His main rival is university professor and former economy minister Danilo Astori, a moderate criticized by some in the party for promoting closer trade ties with the United States.

The primary race is shaping up to be intense, offering a contrast in style and some political positions that may determine the coalition’s chances of staying in power. Rarely seen in a suit and tie, Mujica is backed by hard-line leftist groups and ordinary Uruguayans drawn to his plain-talking style.

Moderates worry about his past as the former head of the Tupamaro guerrillas that carried out kidnappings and bombings in the 1970s and 80s. He has sought to retool his image but he has yet to lay out his economic policies and some business leaders are concerned he might seek to give the state a greater role in the economy if he is elected.—Reuters