Federal elections today in Uruguay, and the left is expected to come to power for the first time in Uruguayan history.

Today is election day in Uruguay, and this afternoon in Montevideo, the streets were calm and quiet to ensure a safe passage of the electoral process. Now that the polls have closed, however, the streets tell another story. People from all walks of life are on the streets waving the red, white and blue flags of the Frente Amplio, a leftist coalition party poised to win today's election. The Frente Amplio is a coalition party, whose members and candidates range from center left life time politicians to staunch communists to ex-political prisoners.

Outside, fireworks explode in the streets, horns honk incessantly, and the masses prepare for victory. This election is crucial for Uruguayans as well as for the concretization of 'progressive' governing in the region, seeing FA leader Tabaré Vázquez joining the ranks of Lula in Brazil, Kirchner in Argentina, and Chavez in Venezuela.

A new government here will see a break from the Washington-centric Colorado party, lead by former president Jorge Batlle. Last week, Batlle signed a bilateral treaty with the US, and said that the US is now "the biggest buyer of Uruguayan goods". In spite of Batlle's outgoing US allegiance, Vázquez has promised to strengthen his country's commitment to the MERCOSUR (Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay-Uruguay) trade block, as an alternative to heavy reliance on the US for trade. Voters at the polls today also voted for or against privatization of water services in the country, and it is expected that nationalization of water will be the measure favored by the majority.

Strengthening relations between Latin American countries through mainstream political channels is one more challenge to global US hegemony and dominance. Officially, it remains to be seen whether Uruguay will join the ranks, but for the thousands on the streets of Montevideo tonight, a people's government is only a matter of hours away.