OPERATIONS

URUGUAY OVERVIEW

POLITICAL AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND

print page

Uruguay became an independent country in 1828. The country has a long tradition of democratic rule, with two interruptions in the 20th century: a short period in the 1930's and between 1973 and 1985 (civilian-military regime). Uruguay currently enjoys a stable political environment. In 2006, a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit recognized the country as one of the two Latin American nations governed as a "full democracy".

Its form of government is a representative republican democracy. Representatives are directly elected every five years by citizens and if no presidential candidate reaches 50% of the votes in the first round there is a second round between the two leading candidates.

The state is organized in three independent branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial Powers. The Executive Power consists of the President and a cabinet of 13 ministers. The Legislative Power is bicameral: the Senate consists of 30 members and the Vice-president and the Chamber of Representatives (lower house) is made up of 99 members. Both chambers are renewed, as is the Executive Power, every five years. The Supreme Court, head of the Judicial Power, has five members who can hold their offices for a maximum of 10 years.

Uruguay's social indicators have historically compared favourably with those of other countries in the region. For instance, Uruguay stood in third place amongst South American countries in the Human Development ranking prepared by the United Nations Development Program in 2006, below Argentina and Chile. Poverty has recently shown a reduction after increasing significantly between 1999 and 2003 as a result of the economic crisis experienced at that time. Regarding education, the enrollment ratio for primary schools stands at almost 100%, while the enrollment ratio for secondary and higher education reaches 87% and 36% respectively. Illiteracy stands at 3.2% of the total population.

Uruguay: Social and Demographic Indicators

(1) official estimates, 2006 (National Statistic Office)
(2) latest data available, 1996