Elections in Uruguay

Uruguay elects on national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. Uruguay has a stable multi-party system. The two "traditional parties" (Colorado Party and National Party) were founded in 1836, and were predominant for over a century. The Broad Front coalition was created in 1971, including members such as the Socialist Party (founded in 1910) and the Communist Party (founded in 1920). The president and the vice-president are elected on one ballot for a five-year term by the people. Each party must elect its candidates for President and Vice-President in primary elections, which are usually held in June. The selected candidates face the electorate in the general elections in October. If no candidate obtains the absolute majority of votes, there is a runoff between the two most-voted candidates. 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. 2019 Uruguayan 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. On 30 November, final votes counts confirmed Lacalle Pou as the winner with 48.8% of the total votes cast over Martínez with 47.3%.