MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

54% of Uruguayans reject social security reform

The government coalition agreed on Friday to pause the debate analyzing the pension reform until after Easter Week due to the lack of support from Cabildo Abierto on the project

The Uruguayan government has passed a social security reform bill in the Senate. However, objections from the Cabildo Abierto party, a partner of the ruling coalition, have generated uncertainty about its implementation.

Recently, Telemundo published a survey by consulting firm Cifra, which gathered the opinions of Uruguayans about the new regulation. The reform includes a change in the minimum age to access retirement. According to the survey, the vast majority of Uruguayans have a strong opinion on the reform, and over half of them disagree with it. Specifically, only 27% agree with the project and almost a fifth have no opinion. A comparison with previous surveys shows that since July last year, the number of people against the reform has increased by five percentage points, while support has decreased by three points.

The age of the respondents is relevant when analyzing their positions. The highest percentage of people against is among those at the peak of their working age (between 30 and 44 years old) and those approaching retirement age (between 45 and 59 years old). There is greater rejection among the lower income sectors and greater relative support among high-income citizens.

Despite these numbers, President Luis Lacalle Pou’s approval rating remains at 43%, according to the latest poll by Opción. His government is the main proponent of the pension reform.

If the information is filtered by political sympathies, 45% of the voters of the government coalition express support and 31% are against, while nearly a quarter of those surveyed prefer not to express an opinion. On the other hand, among Frente Amplio voters, the negative opinion reaches 80%. These numbers denote stability among the pro-government ranks and an increase of 14% in the negative among the leftist sectors.

Social security reforms are not an easy issue for any government. A good proof of this is what happened in recent days in France, where the government opted to implement a reform rejected by two-thirds of the population by decree. This situation had an accelerating effect on a wave of unrest that had been going on for weeks.

The debate in pause

The government coalition agreed on Friday to pause the debate analyzing the pension reform until after Easter Week due to the lack of support from Cabildo Abierto on the project, reported El Observador.

Although the deputies - with the exception of Cabildo Abierto and opposition Frente Amplio - were against delaying the vote in the committee, which had been set for a deadline of Friday, March 31, the refusal of those led by Senator and leader of Cabildo Abierto, Guido Manini Ríos, to support the bill forced the change.