Alexei Rykov vs Jorge Batlle

After Lenin's death, Rykov succeeded him as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (Premier) of the Soviet Union in February 1924. He held this position until 1930, overseeing the government during the NEP period and the early stages of Stalin's rise.

Rykov aligned with Bukharin and the Right Opposition, opposing Stalin's forced collectivization and rapid industrialization. He argued for a continuation of the NEP and a more moderate economic approach, but was forced to recant and lost his position as Premier in 1930.

During the Great Purge, Rykov was expelled from the Communist Party in February 1937. He was arrested and accused of involvement in a 'Right-Trotskyist bloc', marking the final stage of his political downfall and leading to his trial.

Rykov was tried alongside Bukharin in the third Moscow Show Trial in March 1938. Found guilty of treason and sabotage, he was executed on March 15, 1938, becoming one of the highest-ranking Soviet officials purged by Stalin.

Jorge Batlle was elected president of Uruguay in the 1999 general election as the Colorado Party candidate, defeating the Broad Front candidate Tabar

Uruguay experienced a severe banking crisis in 2002, triggered by the Argentine economic crisis. Depositors withdrew billions of dollars, leading to a bank run. Batlle's government imposed a freeze on bank deposits and negotiated a $3 billion loan from the IMF.

Batlle signed a free trade agreement with Mexico in November 2003, aiming to boost bilateral trade and investment. The agreement was part of Uruguay's strategy to diversify its trade relations beyond Mercosur.

Batlle completed his presidential term in March 2005, handing power to Tabar