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Politics of Uruguay

April 10, 2024

The politics of Uruguay abide by a presidential representative democratic republic, under which the president of Uruguay is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as a multiform party system. The president exercises executive power and legislative power and is vested in the two chambers of the General Assembly of Uruguay. The Judiciary is independent from the executive and legislature.

The Colorado and National parties have been locked in a power struggle, with the predominance of the Colorado party throughout most of Uruguay's history. The 2004 election, however, brought the Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio-Nueva Mayoría, a coalition of socialists, former Tupamaros, communists, social democrats, and Christian Democrats among others to power with majorities in both houses of parliament. A majority vote elected President Tabaré Vázquez.

In 2009, the Broad Front once again won the elections with a plurality of the votes. A presidential runoff was triggered because their candidate, José Mujica, received only 47.96 percent of the vote. The Broad Front's candidate beat former president Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera of the Nacional Party in the second round of voting. In addition to the presidency, the Broad Front won a simple majority in the Uruguayan Senate and Chamber of Representatives.[1] In 2014, former president Tabaré Vázquez retook power after defeating, in a second round, the candidate of the National Party, Luis Lacalle Pou, who would be the winner of the 2019 election, surpassing the socialist Daniel Martínez with 50.79 to 49.2 percent of the vote.[2]

According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Uruguay is 2023 the 4th most electoral democratic country in Latin America.[3]

History edit

Until 1919, and from 1934 to 1952, Uruguay's political system, based on the 1830 Constitution, was presidential with strong executive power, similar to that of the United States (but centralized rather than federal). It was also characterized by the rivalry between the two traditional parties, the liberal Colorado Party and the conservative Blanco Party (or National Party). Historically, the Blancos represented the interests of rural property, the Church and the military hierarchy, while the Colorados were supported by urban movable property and reformist intellectuals.

In the 19th century, Uruguay had similar characteristics to other Latin American countries, including caudillism, civil wars and permanent instability (40 revolts between 1830 and 1903), control of important economic sectors in the hands of foreign capital, a high rate of illiteracy (more than half the population in 1900), and a landed oligarchy. Yet Montevideo became a refuge for Argentine exiles fleeing the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas and maintained a reputation as a welcoming place for "advanced" ideas of political and social protest. In 1842, the newspaper Le Messager français devoted a special issue to the memory of Charles Fourier. During the Great Siege of Montevideo (1843-1851), Garibaldi's redshirts fought against Rosas' attacking forces. In 1875, workers founded a section of the International.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Uruguay became the most politically and socially advanced state on the continent. The liberal José Batlle y Ordóñez (in power between 1903 and 1907, then between 1911 and 1915) was the main architect of this transformation; freedom of expression and the press was affirmed, as was that of suffrage. A system of proportional representation was adopted to allow for the representation of minorities. This period also saw the abolition of the death penalty, a fight against administrative corruption, and the introduction of secularism and women's suffrage.

On the economic level, Batlle stated that "industry must not be allowed to destroy human beings...on the contrary the State must regulate it in order to make the lives of the masses happier." An economic policy of dirigisme was thus undertaken, nationalizing many sectors of the economy (railways, telephone, electricity, among others). "Batllism" also took the form of social measures, including the introduction of free and compulsory primary education, maternity leave and the eight-hour day, as well as support for trade unions and the recognition of the right to strike. All this legislation, which was very advanced for its time, made Uruguay a progressive social democracy.[4]

Constitution edit

Main article: Constitution of Uruguay

Uruguay adopted its first constitution in 1830, following the conclusion of a three-year war in which Argentina and Uruguay fought as a regional federation: the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Sponsored by the United Kingdom, the 1828 Treaty of Montevideo built the foundations for a Uruguayan state and constitution. A constitution proposed under the military dictatorship government was rejected by a referendum in 1980.

 
Executive Tower seats the executive power.

Executive branch edit

See also: List of presidents of Uruguay and List of ministries of Uruguay

Uruguay's Constitution of 1967 created a strong presidency, subject to legislative and judicial balance. Many of these provisions were suspended in 1973 but reestablished in 1985. The president, who is both the head of state and the head of government, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, with the vice president elected on the same ticket. The president must act together with the Council of Ministers, which comprises cabinet ministers, appointed by the president. Thirteen ministers head various executive departments. The ministers can be removed by the General Assembly by a majority vote.

The Constitution amendment establishes the requirements for becoming president. Article 151 establishes that the president must be a natural-born citizen of the country, or have been born to an Uruguayan citizen if born abroad. The president must also be at least 35 years old and be registered in the National Civic Registry.[5] The current president since 1 March 2020 is Luis Lacalle Pou, the son of the 36th president, Luis Alberto Lacalle.

Legislative branch edit

 
Legislative Palace, seat of the General Assembly of Uruguay

The General Assembly (Asamblea General) has two chambers. The Chamber of Representatives (Cámara de Representantes) has 99 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation with at least two members per department. The Chamber of Senators (Cámara de Senadores) has 31 members; 30 members are elected for a five-year term by proportional representation and the Vice-president who presides over it.

Judicial branch edit

 
Palacio Piria, seat of the judiciary

The judiciary of Uruguay is headed by the Supreme Court of Justice, whose members are appointed by the General Assembly through a two-thirds majority and whose terms last ten years. The Supreme Court of Justice is the last instance of appeal and is also in charge of judging the constitutionality of the laws. The judiciary is also made up of Courts of Appeals, District Courts and Peace Courts, as well as Conciliation Courts, Mediation Centers, and Misdemeanour Courts. Other dependencies of the Uruguayan judiciary are the Public Defender Office, the Forensic Technical Institute, and the Center for Judiciary Studies.

Direct democracy edit

The Uruguayan political system allows citizens to use direct democracy mechanisms to directly take political decisions on the current legal system without intermediaries. These mechanisms are the referendums to repeal recently approved laws, plebiscites to propose changes to the Constitution and the power of citizens to drive popular initiatives such as to propose referendums, to propose law drafts to the Parliament, to reform the Constitution and to deal with departmental matters.[6]

Political parties and elections edit

For other political parties, see List of political parties in Uruguay. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Uruguay.
Main article: 2019 Uruguayan general election
  
PartyPresidential candidateFirst roundSecond roundSeats
Votes%Votes%Chamber+/–Senate+/–
Broad FrontDaniel Martínez949,37640.491,152,27149.2142–813–2
National PartyLuis Alberto Lacalle Pou696,45229.701,189,31350.7930–2100
Colorado PartyErnesto Talvi300,17712.8013040
Open CabildoGuido Manini Ríos268,73611.4611New3New
Partido Ecologista Radical IntransigenteCésar Vega33,4611.431+100
Partido de la GenteEdgardo Novick26,3131.121+100
Independent PartyPablo Mieres23,5801.011–20–1
Popular UnityGonzalo Abella19,7280.840–100
Green Animalist PartyGustavo Salle19,3920.830New0New
Digital PartyDaniel Goldman6,3630.270New0New
Workers' PartyRafael Fernández1,3870.060000
Total2,344,965100.002,341,584100.00990300
Valid votes2,344,96596.372,341,58496.23
Invalid/blank votes88,3993.6391,6123.77
Total votes2,433,364100.002,433,196100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,699,97890.132,699,98090.12
Source: Corte Electoral (first round); Corte Electoral (second round)

International organization participation edit

Uruguay or Uruguayan organizations participate in the following international organizations:

References edit

  1. ^ . 2014-07-14. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  2. ^ . 2019-12-21. Archived from the original on 2019-12-21. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  3. ^ V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  4. ^ Latin America in the 20th century: 1889-1929, 1991, p. 186-191
  5. ^ "Constitución de la República Oriental del Uruguay". www.impo.com.uy. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  6. ^ González Rissoto, Rodolfo (2008b). "La democracia directa en Uruguay" (PDF). Revista de Derecho Electoral (in Spanish) (6). Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. ISSN 1659-2069.

External links edit

  • Parliament of Uruguay
  • Presidency of Uruguay

Further reading edit

  • Revolution Through Reform: Popular Assemblies, Housing Cooperatives, and Uruguay’s New Left

April 10, 2024
politics, uruguay, politics, uruguay, abide, presidential, representative, democratic, republic, under, which, president, uruguay, both, head, state, head, government, well, multiform, party, system, president, exercises, executive, power, legislative, power, . The politics of Uruguay abide by a presidential representative democratic republic under which the president of Uruguay is both the head of state and the head of government as well as a multiform party system The president exercises executive power and legislative power and is vested in the two chambers of the General Assembly of Uruguay The Judiciary is independent from the executive and legislature Politics of UruguayPolity typeUnitary presidential constitutional republicConstitutionConstitution of UruguayLegislative branchNameGeneral AssemblyTypeBicameralMeeting placeLegislative Palace of UruguayUpper houseNameSenatePresiding officerBeatriz Argimon Vice President of Uruguay amp President of the SenateLower houseNameChamber of RepresentativesPresiding officerAna OliveraExecutive branchHead of State and GovernmentTitlePresidentCurrentlyLuis Alberto Lacalle PouCabinetCurrent cabinetCabinet of UruguayHeadquartersExecutive TowerMinistries14Judicial branchNameJudiciary of UruguaySupreme CourtChief judgeElena Martinez RossoThe Colorado and National parties have been locked in a power struggle with the predominance of the Colorado party throughout most of Uruguay s history The 2004 election however brought the Encuentro Progresista Frente Amplio Nueva Mayoria a coalition of socialists former Tupamaros communists social democrats and Christian Democrats among others to power with majorities in both houses of parliament A majority vote elected President Tabare Vazquez In 2009 the Broad Front once again won the elections with a plurality of the votes A presidential runoff was triggered because their candidate Jose Mujica received only 47 96 percent of the vote The Broad Front s candidate beat former president Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera of the Nacional Party in the second round of voting In addition to the presidency the Broad Front won a simple majority in the Uruguayan Senate and Chamber of Representatives 1 In 2014 former president Tabare Vazquez retook power after defeating in a second round the candidate of the National Party Luis Lacalle Pou who would be the winner of the 2019 election surpassing the socialist Daniel Martinez with 50 79 to 49 2 percent of the vote 2 According to the V Dem Democracy indices Uruguay is 2023 the 4th most electoral democratic country in Latin America 3 Contents 1 History 2 Constitution 3 Executive branch 4 Legislative branch 5 Judicial branch 6 Direct democracy 7 Political parties and elections 8 International organization participation 9 References 10 External links 11 Further readingHistory editUntil 1919 and from 1934 to 1952 Uruguay s political system based on the 1830 Constitution was presidential with strong executive power similar to that of the United States but centralized rather than federal It was also characterized by the rivalry between the two traditional parties the liberal Colorado Party and the conservative Blanco Party or National Party Historically the Blancos represented the interests of rural property the Church and the military hierarchy while the Colorados were supported by urban movable property and reformist intellectuals In the 19th century Uruguay had similar characteristics to other Latin American countries including caudillism civil wars and permanent instability 40 revolts between 1830 and 1903 control of important economic sectors in the hands of foreign capital a high rate of illiteracy more than half the population in 1900 and a landed oligarchy Yet Montevideo became a refuge for Argentine exiles fleeing the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas and maintained a reputation as a welcoming place for advanced ideas of political and social protest In 1842 the newspaper Le Messager francais devoted a special issue to the memory of Charles Fourier During the Great Siege of Montevideo 1843 1851 Garibaldi s redshirts fought against Rosas attacking forces In 1875 workers founded a section of the International At the beginning of the 20th century Uruguay became the most politically and socially advanced state on the continent The liberal Jose Batlle y Ordonez in power between 1903 and 1907 then between 1911 and 1915 was the main architect of this transformation freedom of expression and the press was affirmed as was that of suffrage A system of proportional representation was adopted to allow for the representation of minorities This period also saw the abolition of the death penalty a fight against administrative corruption and the introduction of secularism and women s suffrage On the economic level Batlle stated that industry must not be allowed to destroy human beings on the contrary the State must regulate it in order to make the lives of the masses happier An economic policy of dirigisme was thus undertaken nationalizing many sectors of the economy railways telephone electricity among others Batllism also took the form of social measures including the introduction of free and compulsory primary education maternity leave and the eight hour day as well as support for trade unions and the recognition of the right to strike All this legislation which was very advanced for its time made Uruguay a progressive social democracy 4 Constitution editMain article Constitution of UruguayUruguay adopted its first constitution in 1830 following the conclusion of a three year war in which Argentina and Uruguay fought as a regional federation the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata Sponsored by the United Kingdom the 1828 Treaty of Montevideo built the foundations for a Uruguayan state and constitution A constitution proposed under the military dictatorship government was rejected by a referendum in 1980 nbsp Executive Tower seats the executive power Executive branch editSee also List of presidents of Uruguay and List of ministries of Uruguay Uruguay s Constitution of 1967 created a strong presidency subject to legislative and judicial balance Many of these provisions were suspended in 1973 but reestablished in 1985 The president who is both the head of state and the head of government is elected by popular vote for a five year term with the vice president elected on the same ticket The president must act together with the Council of Ministers which comprises cabinet ministers appointed by the president Thirteen ministers head various executive departments The ministers can be removed by the General Assembly by a majority vote The Constitution amendment establishes the requirements for becoming president Article 151 establishes that the president must be a natural born citizen of the country or have been born to an Uruguayan citizen if born abroad The president must also be at least 35 years old and be registered in the National Civic Registry 5 The current president since 1 March 2020 is Luis Lacalle Pou the son of the 36th president Luis Alberto Lacalle nbsp Luis Lacalle Pou is the current president of Uruguay since 1 March 2020 nbsp Beatriz Argimon is the current vice president of Uruguay since 1 March 2020Legislative branch edit nbsp Legislative Palace seat of the General Assembly of UruguayThe General Assembly Asamblea General has two chambers The Chamber of Representatives Camara de Representantes has 99 members elected for a five year term by proportional representation with at least two members per department The Chamber of Senators Camara de Senadores has 31 members 30 members are elected for a five year term by proportional representation and the Vice president who presides over it Judicial branch edit nbsp Palacio Piria seat of the judiciaryThe judiciary of Uruguay is headed by the Supreme Court of Justice whose members are appointed by the General Assembly through a two thirds majority and whose terms last ten years The Supreme Court of Justice is the last instance of appeal and is also in charge of judging the constitutionality of the laws The judiciary is also made up of Courts of Appeals District Courts and Peace Courts as well as Conciliation Courts Mediation Centers and Misdemeanour Courts Other dependencies of the Uruguayan judiciary are the Public Defender Office the Forensic Technical Institute and the Center for Judiciary Studies Direct democracy editThe Uruguayan political system allows citizens to use direct democracy mechanisms to directly take political decisions on the current legal system without intermediaries These mechanisms are the referendums to repeal recently approved laws plebiscites to propose changes to the Constitution and the power of citizens to drive popular initiatives such as to propose referendums to propose law drafts to the Parliament to reform the Constitution and to deal with departmental matters 6 Political parties and elections editFor other political parties see List of political parties in Uruguay An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Uruguay Main article 2019 Uruguayan general election nbsp nbsp PartyPresidential candidateFirst roundSecond roundSeatsVotes Votes Chamber Senate Broad FrontDaniel Martinez949 37640 491 152 27149 2142 813 2National PartyLuis Alberto Lacalle Pou696 45229 701 189 31350 7930 2100Colorado PartyErnesto Talvi300 17712 8013040Open CabildoGuido Manini Rios268 73611 4611New3NewPartido Ecologista Radical IntransigenteCesar Vega33 4611 431 100Partido de la GenteEdgardo Novick26 3131 121 100Independent PartyPablo Mieres23 5801 011 20 1Popular UnityGonzalo Abella19 7280 840 100Green Animalist PartyGustavo Salle19 3920 830New0NewDigital PartyDaniel Goldman6 3630 270New0NewWorkers PartyRafael Fernandez1 3870 060000Total2 344 965100 002 341 584100 00990300Valid votes2 344 96596 372 341 58496 23Invalid blank votes88 3993 6391 6123 77Total votes2 433 364100 002 433 196100 00Registered voters turnout2 699 97890 132 699 98090 12Source Corte Electoral first round Corte Electoral second round International organization participation editUruguay or Uruguayan organizations participate in the following international organizations The Food and Agriculture Organization FAO Group of 77 G 77 Inter American Development Bank IADB International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA International Bank for Reconstruction and Development World Bank International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO International Criminal Court ICC International Chamber of Commerce ICC International Red Cross International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD International Finance Corporation IFC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRCS International Hydrographic Organization IHO International Labour Organization ILO International Monetary Fund IMF International Maritime Organization IMO Interpol International Olympic Committee IOC International Organization for Migration IOM International Organization for Standardization ISO International Telecommunication Union ITU Latin American Economic System LAES Latin American Integration Association LAIA Mercosur United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara MINURSO United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo MONUC Non Aligned Movement NAM observer Organization of American States OAS Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean OPANAL Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons OPCW Permanent Court of Arbitration PCA Rio Group RG Union of South American Nations UNASUR United Nations United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone UNAMSIL United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO United Nations Industrial Development Organization UNIDO United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea UNMEE United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor UNMISET United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan UNMOGIP United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan UNMOT United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia UNOMIG Universal Postal Union UPU World Confederation of Labour WCL World Customs Organization WCO World Federation of Trade Unions WFTU World Health Organization WHO World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO World Meteorological Organization WMO World Tourism Organization WToO World Trade Organization WTO References edit Facultad de Ciencias Sociales 2014 07 14 Archived from the original on 2014 07 14 Retrieved 2020 11 24 SEGUNDA ELECCION 2019 2019 12 21 Archived from the original on 2019 12 21 Retrieved 2020 11 24 V Dem Institute 2023 The V Dem Dataset Retrieved 14 October 2023 Latin America in the 20th century 1889 1929 1991 p 186 191 Constitucion de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay www impo com uy Retrieved 2020 05 01 Gonzalez Rissoto Rodolfo 2008b La democracia directa en Uruguay PDF Revista de Derecho Electoral in Spanish 6 Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones ISSN 1659 2069 External links editOfficial website Parliament of Uruguay Presidency of Uruguay Political Data Bank at the Social Sciences School of the Universidad de la Republica Uruguay Further reading editRevolution Through Reform Popular Assemblies Housing Cooperatives and Uruguay s New Left Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Politics of Uruguay amp oldid 1212304057, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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