Procedures and Requirements to be a Senator in Uruguay

A senator is part of the Senate or Senate of a specific country. To be a senator, it is necessary to meet a series of requirements established in the constitution and in the laws of the national congress, which also establishes the functions that a senator exercises. The following are specified procedures and requirements that candidates for Senator must meet of Uruguay, as well as other information about the position of Senator.

Requirements to be a senator in Uruguay

To be a Senator in Uruguay, The aspiring citizen must meet the following requirements:

1. In the first instance, you must be thirty years of age.
2. You will also have to have seven years of legal exercise or you will need to have natural citizenship in exercise.

Candidate lawyers who are Judges or are in the Prosecutor’s office may not be Senators.

Police or military officials with a force position or who are carrying out a military activity may not apply either.

In the same way, the president and vice president of the republic, members of the court of accounts, aspiring professionals belonging to the contentious-administrative court, electoral court, people with positions in the councils or directories of autonomous entities and decentralized services, mayors, local and departmental boards. With the exception of officials who decide of their own free will to terminate their services by retiring from the position they hold two months before the vote.

How to be a senator in Uruguay

To be a good senator in Uruguay, the applicant must have a completed academic load from a university degree, which accredits him as a professional and also allows him to be aware of the laws established by and for the National Congress, as well as the constitution of the Republic of Uruguay; he should also have experience in the legislative field of work.

Senator elections in Uruguay

The Chamber of Senators of Uruguay is made up of thirty professionals who are elected by popular election in the same constituency.

In the electoral process, the votes are secret through an election mechanism by integral proportional representation. The accumulation of the votes will be done with the use of the political party that campaigns the aspirants to form the Chamber of Senators.

The distribution of the seats in the Chamber of Senators is carried out, as previously mentioned, by professional integral representation, in addition, the method known as D’Hont is awarded, where the process is carried out simultaneously with a triple vote, a closed and blocked list. with a single constituency throughout the national territory.

The positions of the Senators that form the Chamber are distributed proportionally to the votes that are issued in favor of the respective lists; This is done within the motto of the political party,

The elections for the formation of the Chamber of Senators of Uruguay are held on the last Sunday of October every five years; Therefore, the management time of the Senators elected by popular vote will be five years. Said elections will be held in accordance with the norms and guarantees established in section III of the Constitution of Uruguay.

The next elections for the formation of the Chamber of Senators will be held on Sunday, October 27, 2019, the senators elected in that vote will begin their term on February 15, 2020.

current senators

The members that currently make up the Senate Chamber in Uruguay were elected by popular vote on October 26, 2014, a term that began on February 15, 2015 and ends on February 15, 2020.

After the elections, the Chamber of Senators is made up of fifteen Frente Amplista senators, ten senators representing the National Party, three senators representing the Colorado Party, one senator from the People’s Party, and one senator from the Independent Party.

The name of each one of the representatives of the Chamber of Senators are the following:

Duties of a Senator

The president of the senate must maintain the regulations in force, must also direct the discussions, as well as deny or grant the use of the word of the senators, proclaim the decisions of the chamber and name the officials of the same; open and close sessions. He must sign the tastings, resolutions and official correspondence of the Chamber.

The permanent commissions are distributed administrative affairs, international affairs, labor and social security affairs, as well as science and technology, constitution and legislation, national defense, education and culture, livestock, agriculture and fishing, finance, in addition to the environment, industry, energy, commerce, tourism and services, population, development and inclusion, the budget, public health, transport, housing, territorial planning and public works.

The integrated sessions are in charge of the budget with the Public Treasury.

The special sessions cover the provision of legislative data with the purpose of studying the electoral system and the possible adjustments that can be made to improve it, in addition it is also in charge of everything related to sports.

The investigative sessions are specifically in charge of the activity of the Chamber of Senators regarding the discussion, approval and enforcement of Law No. 18411.

The general functions of the senators are the following:

1. Practice and promote respect for the rights of all persons who for any reason are subjected to a judicial proceeding that deprives them of their liberty.
2. Promote the studies and the preparation of reports that are considered pertinent for the best performance of functions.
3. Collaborate with entities that promote respect for and compliance with Human Rights.
4. Submit an annual report to the General Assembly that describes achievements, activities and competencies carried out in each year of management.

It is also up to the senators to draft the agreements on the order of the day according to the instructions received by the President of Uruguay.

how much does a senator earn

The members of the Chamber of Senators of Uruguay receive 18 times the minimum salary measured in dollars established by the National Executive.

A senator, in addition to his salary, receives a bonus related to representation expenses, an amount that is added to his base salary.

The vice president of the Senate has a nominal salary of $336,208 in addition to representation expenses that are $134,729 for a total of $407,937.

The senators have a nominal salary of $201,749 to which is added an amount for representation expenses that is $33,937 for a total of $235,676.

The salary of pro-secretaries is $171,487 plus filing fees of $28,838 which adds up to $200,325.

NOTE: nominal salaries and representation expenses are taxed by Montepío, IRPF and FONASA.

Articles of the constitution on senators

The constitution of Uruguay establishes a series of articles in which it describes the activity of the senators of the Republic, their election, their powers and powers.

Section V of the constitution covers the legislative power from article 83 to article 103.

Section VI establishes the sessions of the general assembly, the common provisions of the chambers and the permanent commissions; from article 104 to article 132.

In Uruguay, because it is a democratic country, once the members of the Senate are elected by popular election, the senators are at the disposal of the National Congress so that, in the exercise of the position obtained, they comply with and enforce what is established in the Constitution and the laws of the Republic. From Uruguay.