The Oriental Republic of Uruguay is a unitary state. Its territory is divided into 19 departments.(1) The country is fully decentralized at the political, financial and administrative levels. This includes the legislative function, which is delegated to departmental councils at the local level, and the administrative/executive function, which is entrusted to local governors. (2) Local or municipal affairs fall under the jurisdiction of departmental governments endowed with legal capacity; both the creation and legislative and adjudicatory functions of local organs depend on the departmental government (Organic Constitutional Law No. 2015).

El Poder Legislativo es ejercido por la Asamblea General la cual se compone de dos Cámaras: una de Representantes y otra de Senadores, cuyos miembras y miembros son elegidos directamente por el pueblo. La Cámara de Representantes está compuesta por noventa y nueve (99) miembros y la Cámara de Senadores por treinta (30).

Departmental government and administrative matters (with the exception of police functions) are entrusted to a council made up of 31 ediles (mayors) and one governor (Constitution, Arts. 262, 270), chosen directly by "the people" - in this case, the electoral body of the department (Constitution, Arts. 73, 77 and 78).

Terms last five years.

Majority. Occasionally proportional for departmental councils.

Closed party list.

Departmental / single.

None.

Constitution; Organic Constitutional Municipal Law No. 9515.

"The Electoral Court shall have the following powers: (a) To adjudicate all matters relating to electoral acts and proceedings; (b) To exercise directive, corrective, consultative and economic oversight over electoral organs; (c) To serve as the court of final instance for all appeals and claims regarding matters under its jurisdiction, and to adjudicate all elections, plebiscites and referenda." (Section XVIII, Single Chapter, Art.322.). The Electoral Court is the only body with jurisdiction over the internal elections whereby parties select candidates for regional and departmental representative, president, vice-president and governor (Art.323).