Would you like to be a member of the Chamber of Senators of Uruguay? If the answer is yes, then you must know all of the Requirements to be a Senator that the Constitution of Uruguay has provided in its numerous articles, directly or indirectly.
Likewise, it is important that you know about the functions of a Senator, how to become one, what salary they enjoy and what exactly the elections consist of to designate all those who will make up this part of the General Assembly, among other things.
So do not go away! Today we will explain everything about Being a Senator in Uruguay.
What are the Requirements to be a Senator in Uruguay?
The Requirements to be a Senator They are established primarily by Constitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, specifically in the Section V: Of the Legislative Power, Title III: Of the Senate.
There are also others that are not so formal, although in some way or another they are also reflected in this document. Let’s see what they are:
Natural or legal citizenship
The person who has the former must have it in office, while the latter must have seven (07) years of legal citizenship. According to the same Constitution, they are separated as follows:
The natural citizen:
- He was born in the country.
- It is the son or daughter of a Paraguayan mother or father who, being one or both of them at the service of the Republic, have the child abroad.
- They are the son or daughter of a Paraguayan mother or father born abroad, but living in the country.
The legal citizen
is one who has acquired nationality in compliance with the provisions of Article 75. This entails, in short, residing for a minimum of three years in the country, contributing to the economy and enjoying good conduct.
- Be thirty (30) years old, minimum.
- Be free to enjoy all rights, both political and civil.
In conjunction with compliance with these Requirements to be a Senator, you will have to follow some others. First of all, you always need a certain political trajectory in order to be elected as Senator when appropriate to distribute the corresponding positions, as well as membership in some politic party.
As you will see later, the people vote for the parties so that they represent them in the General Assembly. The percentage of votes that correspond to it will determine the number of senators that each party may elect, and that is when the candidates enter.
On the other hand, as for academic requirements, there is no specific guideline on what you should study. You don’t necessarily have to study Law or Political Science. Many of those who enter these positions have studied Economic and Business Sciences, Engineering and some have even dedicated themselves to Education.
Who cannot be Senators?
There are people who, even in compliance with all the above, they cannot run to the post of Senator. These impediments are the same as those experienced by those who wish to be Deputies, and as you will see below, there are several.
According to Art. 91 of the Constitution of Uruguay, together with Art. 100, the persons who they cannot be senators in Uruguay are:
- Republic President, as well as the Vice President.
- Members of the Judicial Power, of the Contentious Administrative Court, of the Court of Accounts.
- Members of the Electoral Court, of the Councils or Directors of Decentralized Services and Autonomous Entities.
- Intendants.
- Members of the Departmental or Local Boards.
- Workers whose salary depends on one of the Powers of the State or some of the entities mentioned above. He can be a civil employee as well as a military one. The exceptions are:
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- Those who are retired or retired.
- Military that they renounce the salary and destiny to be able to enter. They will maintain their rank, but cannot be promoted; They will be on a frozen term, so to speak, until the term as a representative ends.
- Higher education teachers. They may continue to exercise, but ad honorem.
These people will have to resign their positions to be able to elect the Senate, if they can. Likewise, who they cannot be candidates for Senator are:
- Active duty military. They must resign three (03) months before the elections.
- The members of the Boards of Directors or General Directors of the Autonomous Entities and Decentralized Services, who must resign at least one year before.
- Legal judges and prosecutors.
- Active duty police officers, unless they resign three (03) months in advance.
These are factors that you must take into account in conjunction with the Requirements to Be a Senator.
Functions of Being a Senator in Uruguay
The Duties of a Senator there are several. These are elected on a national scale, unlike the deputies who are elected by department. However, their primary function is the same: to fly for the interests of those who elected them to represent them and to be their voice and vote.
The work of a Senator is very important, since it corresponds to him to play his role in the administration of the State. Thus, it has the power to vote for the establishment of reforms, for the creation of regulations, among other things, or to refuse completely.
At the same time, he looks after the interests of his party, which should coincide with the voters who elected them. Those who are selected to participate in the Senate not only meet the Requirements to be a Senator, but are figures with merit and experience.
In addition, most of a senator’s work is done in conjunction with his other colleagues. That is why it is up to them to raise, debate and reach agreements on different ideas with them, so that they can reach an agreement between them and, if necessary, bring it to the Assembly.
On the other hand, the Constitution of Uruguay, in its Art. 102, provides that the Chamber of Senators is responsible:
- Make the opening of the public trial for all those who are accused by the Departmental Board or by the Chamber of Senators. If the case, it is also his turn to sentence them.
- Work together with the House of Representatives under the figure of The general assembly, which is responsible, among other things, for:
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- Create codes.
- Create laws that affect the protection of civil rights, the principles of sovereignty, and that they promote in different areas of development in the country.
- Select the members of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Electoral Court and the other Courts of the State.
Most of the work it does is done in the Assembly, but it has independence and is a decentralized body. It also has a Presidency and three Vice-Presidencies.
He handles various areas, including international affairs, budget, public health, education and culture, national defense, budget, transportation and public works, etc.
Finally, if you are interested in knowing what the Requirements to be a Deputy in Uruguay, You already know what to do.
Requirements to be a Senator: How to be a Senator in Uruguay?
There is no specific formula that tells you how you can Be a senator. In our opinion, the ideal is that you begin to trace your path in the country’s politics as soon as possible.
Many start at the university, participating in the political system of these, being part of different social programs, among other things.
The degree you study is not a deciding factor in itself, but it could be when it comes to meeting people who have the same goals as you. As we told you before, according to different studies that have been carried out on a world scale, most politicians do not study Science Policies.
The truth is that many study Law, Economic and Business Sciences, Engineering…. Some do not even go to university, while others have military degrees. However, the percentage of the latter is minimal compared to those who study careers that have to do with legislation, politics and economics.
On the other hand, at some point in your career you will have to enroll in a politic party. There you will begin to gain influence and polish your path, in order to be a candidate. internal to the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies.
When the presidential elections arrive and with them your chance to be a Senator, if the political party you are in wins representation in the General Assembly, then you will become a member of the Senate, as soon as it corresponds to you.
Of course, you should also take into account the Requirements to be a Senator.
Election Process to be a Senator in Uruguay
The Election process for members of the Chamber of Senators is done using a Proportional Representation System, in accordance with the provisions of the Art. 95 of the Constitution of Uruguay.
In this system, political parties register for the presidential elections that are held every five years, publishing their list of candidates, including those who are going to run for the presidency and vice-presidency. At the end of the voting, the results obtained for the candidates and for the registered parties are published.
Depending on the number of votes obtained by a party, the percentage of participation that corresponds to him in the Chamber of Senators, that is, the number of members that will represent them in the Senate.
Thus, for example, for the 2019 elections, the Broad Front Party, which registered Daniel Martínez and Graciela Villa as candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency, obtained a total of 949,376 votes, which based on the total number of votes corresponds to 39% of the votes.
Consequently, they achieved the highest representation in the Senate, with 13 members of their party joining, plus 42 entering the House of Representatives. Without a doubt a decisive success, only followed by the National Party.
This party obtained 696,452 votes, which correspond to almost 29% of the total votes. Its participation in the Senate was manifested with 10 members, being together with those of Wide Front the parties with greater participation and, consequently, with more influence when making decisions.
Despite having a minority in the General Assembly, they won the Presidency. It’s about a bipartisan government, where the administration of the State is carried out primarily by two political parties. The following parties, such as the Colorado Party and Cabildo Abierto, obtained only half of the latter and very little participation (only four senators).
How many Senators are elected?
Refering to Number of Senators that make up the Chamber, we have to Art. 92 sets a total of thirty (30) members in total. These are chosen directly by the voters, in a single electoral district.
Furthermore, this is the basis on which the number of representations in the General Assembly is determined, using the percentage of votes obtained.
What is the duration of the position?
The Senator will remain in office for a total of five (05) years, in accordance with the provisions of Article 97 of the Constitution of Uruguay.
This corresponds to the duration of the presidency and vice-presidency, which makes sense considering that they are selected on the same day.
If you are interested in knowing the Voting Requirements, the prohibitions and the operation of the elections, you know what to do. Remember: voting is mandatory.
Requirements to be a Senator: What is it?
The Senator works on behalf of the people, ensuring the interest of the country as a whole. Alongside the deputies, they make up the General Assembly, which is in charge of exercising the Legislative Power in Uruguay.
The election of the members of the Chamber of Senators is held every five (05) years, and they are directly elected by the voters registered and authorized in the Civic Registry, subsequent compliance with the Requirements to be a Senator.
This position requires extensive training and is greatly rewarded. The Senators had a salary of $ 500,000 for 2019, while the deputies enjoyed about $ 470,000.
We hope we have helped you to better understand the functioning of the Senate in Uruguay and we wish you the best of luck.
Until next time!