The president of Uruguay (), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

and

head of government In the Executive (government), executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presid ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. The president presides over the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

, directing the executive branch of the national government, and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Uruguay. The rights and powers of the presidency are determined in the Constitution of the Republic. Along with the Secretariat of the Presidency, the

and the director of the Office of Planning and Budget, the president is part of the

executive branch The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...

. In case of absence, their office is exercised by the

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

. In turn, the president of the republic is the commander in chief of the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

. Since 1835, by the constitution of Uruguay, the president's term has begun and ended on 1 March.

Features of the office

Requirements

The

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

amendment establishes the requirements for becoming president. Article 151 establishes that the president must be a

natural-born citizen A natural-born-citizen clause is a provision in some constitutions that certain officers, usually the head of state, must be "natural-born" citizens of that state, but there is no universally accepted meaning for the term ''natural-born''. The c ...

of the country, or have been born to a Uruguayan citizen if born abroad. The president must also be at least 35 years old and be registered in the National Civic Registry.

Election

According to the current Constitution Constitution of Uruguay of 1967 or Constitution of Uruguay of 1997, the president is elected by direct popular vote for a term of five years. A person may be reelected to the presidency any number of times, but is ineligible for immediate reelection. The president and vice president run on a single ticket submitted by their party. In case no candidate obtains an absolute majority of votes (50%+1), a runoff is held between the top two candidates. In this case, the candidate who obtains a plurality in the runoff wins the election.

Powers and duties

According to Article 168 of the Constitution, the president, acting with the respective minister or ministers, or the Council of Ministers, includes, is assigned: #The preservation of order and tranquility within and security without. #The command of all armed forces. #The promulgation of all laws, issuing special regulations necessary for its implementation. #The delivery, to the

General Assembly of Uruguay The General Assembly of Uruguay () is the bicameral legislature of the government of Uruguay, and consists of two chambers: the Chamber of Senators and the Chamber of Representatives. General Assembly has 130 voting members: 99 representative ...

at the opening of regular sessions, the state of the Republic address. #The right to veto laws he dislikes. #The right to propose bills or amendments to laws previously enacted. #The dismissal of public employees for misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance. #Management of

diplomatic relations Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern Diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...

and, with consent of the legislature, the right to declare war. #The right to declare a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

when needed. #The preparation of the state budget. #Negotiation of treaties with the ratification of the legislature.

Succession

Article 153 of the Constitution establishes that in the event of absence, resignation, cessation, or death of the President and Vice President, the Presidency of the Republic shall be assumed by the first titular Senator of the list most voted for of the political party by which they were elected.

Residence

The Suárez Residence in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

is the

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

of the president. The site was acquired by Adelina Lerena de Fein at auction, and the construction of a three-storey house by the young architect Juan María Aubriot, was ordered by Fein Lerena family. In 1925, the young

Luis Batlle Berres Luis Conrado Batlle y Berres (26 November 1897 – 15 July 1964) was a Uruguayan politician who was President of Uruguay from 1947 to 1951. Background Batlle Berres was a journalist and prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party. He was ...

and

Matilde Ibáñez Tálice Matilde Ibáñez Tálice (3 March 1907 – 4 September 2002) was the First Lady of Uruguay from 1947 to 1951, as the wife of President Luis Batlle Berres. Ibáñez is also the mother of Jorge Batlle Ibáñez, who served as president from 2000 unt ...

met while walking in front of this property. Soon after they were married. In 1947,

was already head of state, and at the suggestion of his spouse they chose this mansion as their official residence. The Anchorena Presidential Estate is the president's country residence. Located in the Colonia Department, 208 kilometers from

, is the result of the legacy of the aristocrat Aarón de Anchorena who gave about 1,369 hectares of his estate to the Uruguayan State. The mansion combines the Norman and Tudor styles. The president also has the use of a mansion in

Punta del Este Punta del Este () is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este grew to become a resort for the Latin and North American jet set and tourists. T ...

, which is called "Woodland’s," and serves as a vacation residence. It was donated to the Uruguayan State by the Argentine businessman Mauricio Litman. File:Residencia Presidencial - panoramio.jpg, Residencia de Suárez, the official residence File:Parque Anchorena Estancia Residencial Presidencial Colonia Uruguay - panoramio.jpg, Anchorena Presidential Estate, the official retreat

References

External links

Politics Data Bank at the Social Sciences School – Universidad de la República (Uruguay)
{{Heads of State of the South America 1830 establishments in Uruguay