MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay >> Voters in the small South American nation of Uruguay cast ballots Sunday in a presidential election in which a center-left rural mayor pulled firmly ahead of the conservative incumbent-party candidate, pushing the race into a second round of voting.

Both leading candidates — a two-time mayor and former history teacher, Yamandú Orsi, 57, and the center-right ruling party’s candidate, Álvaro Delgado, 55 — told crowds late Sunday that they would face each other in a heated runoff on Nov. 24, reflecting official election results with over 90% of votes counted hours after polls closed.

The outcome came as little surprise. But Uruguay’s remarkably civilized presidential race has emerged as an exception in the region, defying trends of bitter division and democratic erosion seen across Latin America and in the United States. Far from mud-slinging and personal attacks, Uruguay’s contest focused on key issues such as rising crime, pension reform and the quality of schools.

Uruguay’s center-left Broad Front alliance went into the election as the front-runner, reflecting a desire for a stronger social safety net in one of Latin America’s most expensive countries, where one in five children lives in poverty and an aging population has clamored for higher pensions.

The Broad Front held the presidency in Uruguay for 15 years, from 2005 to 2020, presiding over robust economic growth and socially liberal laws that raised the tiny country’s global profile with the pioneering legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and marijuana for recreational use.

Most of that transformation occurred under the tenure of former President José “Pepe” Mujica, an eccentric former guerrilla and present-day chrysanthemum farmer who has backed Orsi.

“We are going in for these 27 days,” Orsi told thousands of energized supporters waving flags and setting off flares in Montevideo late Sunday, referring to a final campaign push over the coming weeks. “The Broad Front is once again the most voted party in Uruguay.”

Orsi’s working-class roots, casual wear and promise to eschew many benefits enjoyed by heads of state appears to draw inspiration from Mujica, now 89 and battling esophageal cancer.