Legislative branch:
bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; vice president has one vote in the Senate) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 25 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014); Chamber of Representatives - last held 25 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Frente Amplio 16, Blanco 9, Colorado Party 5; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Frente Amplio 50, Blanco 30, Colorado Party 17, Independent Party 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
Broad Front (Frente Amplio) - formerly known as the Progressive
Encounter/Broad Front Coalition or EP-FA [Jorge BROVETTO] (a broad
governing coalition that includes Movement of the Popular
Participation or MPP [Jose MUJICA], New Space Party (Nuevo Espacio)
[Rafael MICHELINI], Progressive Alliance (Alianza Progresista)
[Rodolfo NIN NOVOA], Socialist Party [Eduardo FERNANDEZ], the
Communist Party [Marina ARISMENDI], Uruguayan Assembly (Asamblea
Uruguay) [Danilo ASTORI], and Vertiente Artiguista [Mariano ARANA]);
Colorado Party (Foro Batllista) [Julio Maria SANGUINETTI]; National
Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE and Jorge LARRANAGA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization); Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association); Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization); PIT/CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan Unions - umbrella labor organization); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association); Uruguayan Construction League; Uruguayan Network of Political Women