Elections in Uruguay

2024 Uruguay general election

Voting

Electoral registration

Since voting is compulsory in Uruguay, every Uruguayan citizen upon turning 18 must register in the "National Civic Registry", an electoral roll of citizens with the right to vote, administered by the Electoral Court. After registration, the person obtains the Credencial Cívica, the official document used to cast the vote.

Polling procedure

The voting procedure is detailed in Law No. 7,812 –known as the "Elections Law"–. To cast the vote, Uruguayan citizens must appear before a polling station determined based on the series and number of their registration in the electoral roll.

Having verified the identity of the voter and their inclusion in the electoral roll, the polling station officials give them an envelope to go to the voting booth, known as , and insert the ballot inside, guaranteeing the secrecy of the vote. Once outside the cuarto secreto, the voter places the envelope inside a closed ballot box.

Presidential elections

The president and the vice-president are elected on one ballot for a five-year term by the people.

In Uruguay, a blanket primary election is held in June to elect the national convention of each party, which selects the presidential candidate. All parties must participate, however voting is voluntary unlike the other instances in the electoral process. The most voted presidential pre-candidate is automatically designated if they reach the absolute majority, or a 40% plurality with a 10% margin over the second most voted candidate. The convention also selects the vice-presidential candidate.

General elections are held in October. If no presidential candidate obtains the absolute majority of votes, there is a runoff between the two most-voted candidates.

Parliamentary elections

The General Assembly (Asamblea General) has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) has 99 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation with representation from the 19 departments. The Chamber of Senators (Cámara de Senadores) has 30 members elected for a five-year term by proportional representation at the national level, plus the Vice-president.

After the 2019 elections, seven parties are represented in the Chamber of Deputies and four in the Chamber of Senators.

Schedule

Election

Inauguration

2019 general election

On 25 November, preliminary results in the runoff election showed Lacalle Pou with a majority (48.71%) by 28,666 votes over Martínez (47.51%), which delayed the announcement of a winner as 35,229 absentee votes needed to be counted. Martínez later conceded defeat on 28 November.

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Past elections and referendums

Local elections

• 2000 Uruguayan municipal elections
• 2005 Uruguayan municipal elections
• 2010 Uruguayan municipal elections
• 2015 Uruguayan municipal elections
• 2020 Uruguayan municipal elections
• 2022 Uruguayan Law of Urgent Consideration referendum

Next elections

• 2024 Uruguayan general election
• 2025 Uruguayan municipal elections

References

References

1. "¿Hasta qué edad es obligatorio votar en Uruguay?".
2. "Cometidos".
3. (2024-04-15). "Largas filas para sacar la credencial, en el último día para el trámite: dónde y cómo se realiza".
4. "Credencial cívica {{!}} Trámites".
5. "¿Voto electrónico en Uruguay?: una “utopía” posible, pero que requiere cambiar la ley".
6. (2019-10-26). "Cómo votar sin la credencial y otras once dudas electorales".
7. Redacción. "Qué se puede hacer y qué no este domingo en el cuarto secreto".
8. (2009-10-23). "En Cerro Largo hay una urna de madera de 1920".
9. (2019-11-25). "Elecciones en Uruguay: con el 100% de las mesas escrutadas, ¿cómo terminó la votación?". La Nación.
10. (28 November 2019). "Uruguay election: Lacalle wins presidency as rival concedes".
11. (30 November 2019). "Lacalle won with 48.8% and Martínez obtained 47.3% in the 2019 ballot: look at the results". El Pais.