Uruguay · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in Uruguay, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- Constitution
- Amendable by plebiscite, including on citizen initiative.
- Statutes of the General Assembly
- Subject to repeal by citizen-initiated referendum within a year.
- Codes
- Civil Code (1868), Penal Code, General Code of Procedure (1989), which pioneered oral civil procedure in the region.
- Case law
- Not binding; doctrine and Supreme Court practice are influential.
The legislative process
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.
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