Montevideo, November 23 (RHC)-- Uruguay's Minister of Defense Jose Bayardi denounced Saturday former army general and far-right presidential candidate Guido Manini for inciting confrontations and rebellion of the military against democratic institutions, through a video on social media.

The far-right politician who belongs to the Cabildo Abierto party published a video addressed to members of the armed forces, calling for them to not vote for left-wing Broad Front candidate Daniel Martenez on Sunday’s runoff elections. 

On Sunday, Uruguayans vote to chose between Martinez and National Party candidate Luis Lacalle Pou, who has formed a right-wing coalition with liberals and the far-right lead by Manini, all with the aim of impeding another Broad Front win. 

The left-wing colation has won Uruguay’s past three presidential contests and has been governing the country for the past 15 years, achieving to lead the nation through significant growth in the economy, as well as a reduction of unemployment rates and levels of poverty and extreme poverty.

Uruguay under the Broad Front has proven to be a successful model to alleviate inequality, reducing poverty to 8.1 percent from 40 percent since 2004 and increasing the educational budget to “more than $2 billion.”

The leftist governments led by Pepe Mujica and Tabare Vasquez also consolidated a series of labor rights as well as social rights including same-sex marriage, the legalization of abortion under certain circumstances and the expansion of transgender people’s rights.

However, and despite these successes, things may be different this time as Ernesto Talvi, the Colorado Party presidential candidate, and far-right retired officer Manini, along with the leaders of two other minor parties, rushed to throw their support behind Lacalle Pou, enabling him to form a right-wing coalition.

Sunday’s runoff will take place in an unstable regional context, after weeks of protest and conflict in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile.