Uruguay flag Uruguay: Economic and Political Overview

The political framework of Uruguay

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders
President: Luis Lacalle Pou (since March 1st, 2020)
Vice President: Beatriz Argimón (since March 1st, 2020)
Next Election Dates
Presidential: October 2024
Chamber of Senators: October 2024
Chamber of Representatives: October 2024
Main Political Parties
Uruguay has a multi-party system with three dominant political coalitions. Outside of these coalitions, it is extremely difficult for any other political party to achieve electoral success. The dominant political forces are:

- Broad Front (FA): centre-left; maintained majority since 2009; broad coalition of 21 groups, including the Movimiento de Participación Popular (MPP), the Partido Socialista (PS), and the Vertiente Artiguista (VA)
- National Party (PN): conservative party, nationalist, liberal, also referred to as the "White Party"
- Open Cabildo (Cabildo Abierto): right-wing, populist, conservative
- Ecologist Radical Intransigent Party (PERI): centre to centre-left, green politics, liberal
- Colorado Party: centre-right, a liberal and social-democratic party, the most elected party in Uruguayan history
- Independent Party (PI): centre, a social democratic and Christian socialist party, advocates "Third Way" - an alternative to the traditional left and right-wing politics
- Popular Unity (UP): coalition of left-wing and far-left, Marxist-communist, anti-imperialist
- Party of the People (Partido de la Gente): right-wing, populist, conservative
- Green Animalist Party (PVA): centre to centre-right, green conservatism, animal rights, direct democracy
- Workers' Party (Partido de los Trabajadores): far-left, Trotskyist, socialist
- Digital Party (Partido Digital): the party advocated for e-democracy and is against being labelled either right, centre, or left.

Executive Power
The President of the Republic is both the Head of State and the Head of Government and is elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term. While the President may be reelected any number of times, immediate reelection is not allowed by the Constitution.
Legislative Power
Parliament is bicameral. The General Assembly is made up of the Chamber of Senators, which is composed of 30 members directly elected to serve 5-year terms; and the Chamber of Representatives, composed of 99 members directly elected to serve 5-year terms.
 

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

Definition:

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:
18/180
 

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:
Free
Political Freedom:
1/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

 

Return to top

Any Comment About This Content? Report It to Us.

 

© eexpand, All Rights Reserved.
Latest Update: March 2024

Return to top