People in the small nation of 3.4 million have to choose between the leftist Frente Amplio (Broad Front) candidate Yamandu Orsi and Alvaro Delgado of the National Party, a member of outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou’s centre-right Republican Coalition.

Uruguayans went to the polls Sunday for a second round of voting to choose their next president, with the conservative governing party and the left-leaning coalition locked in a close runoff after failing to win an outright majority in last month’s vote.

Former history teacher Yamandu Orsi of the Frente Amplio leftist alliance faces Alvaro Delgado of the National Party, part of the ruling Republican Coalition, as voters head to polls on Sunday. A victory for Orsi would see Uruguay shift left after five years of center-right rule.

Voters in South America's laid-back Uruguay, known for its beaches, legalized marijuana and stability, will head to the polls on Sunday in a second-round presidential race between moderates that closes out a bumper year of elections.

Uruguay is on the cusp of becoming the latest country to oust an incumbent party this year, with violent crime and an economic recovery that has left many behind bolstering the hopes of the leftist opposition candidate in Sunday’s presidential election.

Uruguayans headed to the polls Sunday, with the leftist alliance of celebrated ex-president Jose "Pepe" Mujica hoping to reclaim the country's top job five years after a right-wing victory driven