Tabare Vazquez vs Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

Tabaré Vázquez was elected president of Uruguay in the 2004 general election as the Broad Front candidate, defeating the Colorado Party candidate. He became the first leftist president in Uruguayan history.

Vázquez launched the Plan de Emergencia (Emergency Plan), a social assistance program providing cash transfers to impoverished families. The program aimed to reduce poverty and inequality, reaching over 100,000 households.

Vázquez signed the law legalizing abortion in Uruguay in October 2012, making it one of the few Latin American countries to do so. The law allowed abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy under certain conditions.

Vázquez signed the law legalizing same-sex marriage in Uruguay in May 2013, making it the second Latin American country to do so after Argentina. The law granted same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Vázquez was re-elected president in the 2014 general election, serving a second term from 2015 to 2020. His re-election confirmed the Broad Front's continued popularity.

Prime Minister Ben Ali removed President Habib Bourguiba from office after doctors declared him unfit to rule. The coup was bloodless and initially welcomed as a way to end Bourguiba's increasingly erratic rule.

Ben Ali was elected president with 99.27% of the vote in an election where he was the only candidate. His rule was characterized by political repression, economic growth, and a facade of democracy.

After weeks of mass protests triggered by Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation, Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia. His ouster marked the first successful uprising of the Arab Spring, inspiring protests across the Middle East and North Africa.

A Tunisian court convicted Ben Ali in absentia on charges of embezzlement and drug possession. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison and fined millions of dollars. The trial was part of efforts to hold the former regime accountable.