Uruguayans to vote on security reform in general election

More than two million Uruguayans head to the polls Sunday to pick a successor to leftist President Tabare Vazquez and to vote on constitutional reforms including the establishment of a military police force.

"Democracy in Uruguay is very strong and must be protected," Vazquez said Thursday in his final message before voting begins.

Uruguayans will also be electing all 99 deputies and 30 senators in parliament.

The vote comes on the same day as a general election in Argentina and against a backdrop of regional strife following massive street protests in Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia, the latter over alleged electoral fraud.

Uruguay has long been considered a bastion of peace and stability in an often turbulent region but security has been declining, with a sharp rise in some violent crimes reported last year.

In 2018, South America's second-smallest country registered a record 414 murders, up 45 per cent on the year before.

The alarming hike fuelled a debate over proposed constitutional ..