In 1989, elections were held in Montevideo which saw the candidate of the Broad Front, Tabaré Vázquez, elected mayor of Montevideo. Vasquez would go on to hold the post of mayor from 1990 to 1994. The victory of the Broad Front was arguably the result of long-standing social problems, with one observer noting "The combination of economic crisis, military dictatorship and neoliberal policies had led to a drop in living standards and social equality as well as a decrease in social spending and urban services. The social safety net that had once made Uruguay a model welfare state was badly frayed, and government, from garbage collection to mass transport, no longer worked well. Added to these traumas was the trial of dealing with a municipal bureaucracy notorious for its arrogance and inefficiency. Paying one's taxes or filling out a forin could take hours; securing services from the centralized municipal government could take years." The Frente Amplio promised to tackle these problems, creating a municipal government that was efficient, efficacious and responsive, services that were modern and affordable, and a city whose financial burdens and economic benefits were more equitably distributed. The political subtext was clear. If the Frente Amplio could turn Montevideo around in so dramatic a fashion, it would be in a position to mount a serious challenge for national power, and Vázquez would become a credible presidential candidate. During the time the Broad Front governed Montevideo, a range of social initiatives were carried out. New street lights were installed, while housing construction was promoted by giving municipal lands to communities "for cooperative self-built residential housing, and by funding the rental of construction machinery and contributing materials at low prices which are repaid through long-term loans from the public Banco Hipotecario or foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs)". More land titles were given to squatters than any previous administration, and a construction-materials "bank" was established to help people improve their housing. Public-vaccination plans were also expanded and an eye-care and clinic plan was initiated, though not fully implemented, while distribution of subsidized milk was tripled and free milk provided for institutional daytime snacks. In addition, the burden of subsidizing students and the elderly from other bus riders through higher fares was shifted to the municipality through direct subsidies to the bus companies.
In 1989 elections were held in Montevideo which saw the candidate of the Broad Front Tabaré Vázquez elected mayor of Montevideo Vasquez would go on to hold the post of mayor from 1990 to 1994 The victory of the Broad Front was arguably the result of long-standing social problems with one observer noting "The combination of economic crisis military dictatorship and neoliberal policies had led to a drop in living standards and social equality as well as a decrease in social spending and urban services The social safety net that had once made Uruguay a model welfare state was badly frayed and government from garbage collection to mass transport no longer worked well Added to these traumas was the trial of dealing with a municipal bureaucracy notorious for its arrogance and inefficiency Paying one's taxes or filling out a forin could take hours; securing services from the centralized municipal government could take years" The Frente Amplio promised to tackle these problems creating a municipal government that was efficient efficacious and responsive services that were modern and affordable and a city whose financial burdens and economic benefits were more equitably distributed The political subtext was clear If the Frente Amplio could turn Montevideo around in so dramatic a fashion it would be in a position to mount a serious challenge for national power and Vázquez would become a credible presidential candidate During the time the Broad Front governed Montevideo a range of social initiatives were carried out New street lights were installed while housing construction was promoted by giving municipal lands to communities "for cooperative self-built residential housing and by funding the rental of construction machinery and contributing materials at low prices which are repaid through long-term loans from the public Banco Hipotecario or foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs)" More land titles were given to squatters than any previous administration and a construction-materials "bank" was established to help people improve their housing Public-vaccination plans were also expanded and an eye-care and clinic plan was initiated though not fully implemented while distribution of subsidized milk was tripled and free milk provided for institutional daytime snacks In addition the burden of subsidizing students and the elderly from other bus riders through higher fares was shifted to the municipality through direct subsidies to the bus companies