Uruguay · Government
Government and administration in Uruguay
How the executive, legislature and administrative state are organised, and which body is responsible for what.
The three branches
- Executive — President and Council of Ministers
- Five-year term with no immediate re-election.
- Legislative — General Assembly
- Chamber of Representatives (99) and Chamber of Senators (30 plus the Vice-President).
- Judicial — Judiciary headed by the Supreme Court
- Ministers are appointed by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly.
- Direct democracy — Referendum and plebiscite
- A recognised route for repealing statutes and amending the Constitution.
How legislation is made
Bills pass both chambers; disagreement is resolved by the General Assembly sitting jointly. The executive may veto, overcome by three-fifths of the joint assembly. Distinctively, 25% of registered voters can force a referendum to repeal a statute within one year of promulgation, and 10% can initiate a constitutional plebiscite.
Enforcement institutions
- Fiscalía General de la Nación
- Autonomous prosecution service since 2015, central to the accusatorial reform of 2017.
- Policía Nacional
- Under the Interior Ministry.
- Institución Nacional de Derechos Humanos y Defensoría del Pueblo
- National human-rights institution reporting to parliament.
Government bodies and regulators
- judicialSuprema Corte de JusticiaHighest court and sole authority on constitutionality.
- judicialTribunal de lo Contencioso AdministrativoAnnuls unlawful administrative acts.
- independentFiscalía General de la NaciónAutonomous prosecution service.
- executiveDirección General ImpositivaAdministers internal taxes.
- executiveDirección Nacional de MigraciónAdministers entry, residence and naturalisation.
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