Description of Electoral System:

(courtesy of IFES election guide, Uruguayan Constitution and Electoral Law N° 7.812 modify by Law N° 17.113)

The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term. In the Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) 30 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms. In the Chamber of Representatives (Camara de Representantes) 99 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms.

In Uruguay, only persons over of 18 years and duly registered in the Civil Registry can exercise their right to vote. Voting is secret and mandatory (Art. 77 of the Constitution).

The following are positions of popular election (Arts. 77-151-262 of the Constitution; Art.3 of the Law Nª 7.812):

-          President and Vice-President of the Republic

-          Senators and members of Chamber of Representatives

-          Municipal Intendants  (Intendentes)

-          Department Assemblies

-          Elective Local Assemblies (Juntas Locales Electivas)

-          Electoral Assemblies (Juntas Electorales)

Presidential and Vice-Presidential election uses the majority system with second round election; in Municipal Intendants elections the pure and majority system is applied (Art. 151 of the Constitution).  Senators and members of the Chamber of Representatives are elected using the proportional representation system. Finally, the election of Department Assemblies uses the system of minorities’ representation (Arts. 262-272 of the Constitution).

Voting lists are blocked and closed, and the national and departmental elections will be made in different dates. The constituencies are unique for all the charges with exception of the Chamber of Representants. The constituency is national for the President, Vice-President and Senators elections.  For the elections of Municipal Intendants and members of the Chamber of Representatives, the department constituencies are 19[1].

The electoral justice in Uruguay it’s constituted by the Electoral Court (Corte Electoral) the one is in charged to (Art. 322 of the Constitution):

a)      Be inform about every aspect related  with  electoral acts and procedures

b)      Exert the supremacy (directive, disciplinary and economically) above all electoral organs.

c)      Decide in final instance, about all appellations or reclamations produced; and be judge of the all elections of the electing positions, also the plebiscite act and referendum. 

In addition, the electoral system in Uruguay has electoral subordinated organs like the “Electoral Assemblies” that has offices in the capital of each department. Also, there exist the “Votes Reception Assemblies” which are temporal organs (Electoral Law Nª 7.812).

Finally, the Law of January 9th of 1925, which organizes the National Civil Registry, created the National Electoral Office and the Department Electoral Office. Booth are electoral administrative offices of the Electoral Court, which are in charge of the organization, classification and depuration of the National Civil Registry and of the custody of the National Electoral Archive and the Departmental Archives, respectively.  

[1] Aguirre, Pedro (Coord.): “Sistemas Políticos y Electorales: Uruguay” by Electoral Federal Institution (IFE), 2000, pp. 13-15

Electoral Systems Snapshot

(Courtesy of International IDEA)

*Click on links for definitions

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Politics of Uruguay

(courtesy of wikipedia)

Politics of Uruguay takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Uruguay is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the General Assembly of Uruguay. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. For most of Uruguay's history, the Colorado and National parties have alternated in power. The elections of 2004, however, brought the Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio-Nueva Mayoría, a coalition of socialists,former Tupamaros, communists and social democrats among others to power with majorities in both houses of parliament and the election of President Tabaré Vázquez Rosas by majority vote.