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SECRET
State Dept. E.O. Guideline, 12065, Sec. 3-402
DECLASSIFIED
June
12,
1979
URUGUAY'S "NINE-MAN" PRESIDENCY
Date
For some years now, the people of this country have been
immensely proud of Uruguay's reputation as the "workshop of
democracy" in Latin America.
Because of this attitude, Uruguay has shown a willingness
to experiment in new political forms which is not generally
characteristic of Latin American nations. In fact, some ob-
servers believe that at times the Uruguayan devotion to demo-
cracy is so intense that it tends to overlook the practical in
its search for the ideal.
A case in point is the new "Collegiate" form of govern-
ment provided for by Constitutional amendment adopted at a
general plebiscite on December 16, 1951, and which comes into
effect on March 1, 1952.
The Collegiate plan abolishes the office of President, as
we know it in the United States, and substitutes a nine-man
council to wield executive authority. This is the so-called
"plural executive".
To understand the historical and political development of
the Collegiate idea it is necessary to review briefly the career
of one of the most remarkable men in the history of Uruguay,
Señor Batlle* y Ordoñez, who served two terms in the Presidency
during the early part of this century and who profoundly altered
not only prevailing governmental policies but also the political
thinking of an entire nation. It was loyalty to his memory
which was the major factor in the adoption of the Collegiate
system in 1951.
Batlle y Ordoñez first came to power in 1903 at a time
when the incoming President traditionally fought it out on the
battlefield with his unsuccessful rivals. His regime was no
exception. After a series of battles he succeeded in restoring
public order and then he devoted the balance of his term to
binding up the wounds of civil war. When his term ended, he
respected the Constitutional provision against two successive
terms and relinquished the office.
Batlle resumed the Presidency in 1913 and during this
period he instituted a series of social and political reforms
which were without parallel in South American history and many
of which were far in advance of anything attempted up to that
time either in the United States or in Europe. At his insti-
gation, there was placed upon the statute books a vast network
of laws designed to provide a new deal economically for the
workers, the farmers, and the underprivileged. Over the years
since then, these reforms have been continued and extended
* pronounced Bä' jay
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"ocrText": "SECRET\nState Dept. E.O. Guideline, 12065, Sec. 3-402\nDECLASSIFIED\nJune\n12,\n1979\nURUGUAY'S \"NINE-MAN\" PRESIDENCY\nDate\nFor some years now, the people of this country have been\nimmensely proud of Uruguay's reputation as the \"workshop of\ndemocracy\" in Latin America.\nBecause of this attitude, Uruguay has shown a willingness\nto experiment in new political forms which is not generally\ncharacteristic of Latin American nations. In fact, some ob-\nservers believe that at times the Uruguayan devotion to demo-\ncracy is so intense that it tends to overlook the practical in\nits search for the ideal.\nA case in point is the new \"Collegiate\" form of govern-\nment provided for by Constitutional amendment adopted at a\ngeneral plebiscite on December 16, 1951, and which comes into\neffect on March 1, 1952.\nThe Collegiate plan abolishes the office of President, as\nwe know it in the United States, and substitutes a nine-man\ncouncil to wield executive authority. This is the so-called\n\"plural executive\".\nTo understand the historical and political development of\nthe Collegiate idea it is necessary to review briefly the career\nof one of the most remarkable men in the history of Uruguay,\nSeñor Batlle* y Ordoñez, who served two terms in the Presidency\nduring the early part of this century and who profoundly altered\nnot only prevailing governmental policies but also the political\nthinking of an entire nation. It was loyalty to his memory\nwhich was the major factor in the adoption of the Collegiate\nsystem in 1951.\nBatlle y Ordoñez first came to power in 1903 at a time\nwhen the incoming President traditionally fought it out on the\nbattlefield with his unsuccessful rivals. His regime was no\nexception. After a series of battles he succeeded in restoring\npublic order and then he devoted the balance of his term to\nbinding up the wounds of civil war. When his term ended, he\nrespected the Constitutional provision against two successive\nterms and relinquished the office.\nBatlle resumed the Presidency in 1913 and during this\nperiod he instituted a series of social and political reforms\nwhich were without parallel in South American history and many\nof which were far in advance of anything attempted up to that\ntime either in the United States or in Europe. At his insti-\ngation, there was placed upon the statute books a vast network\nof laws designed to provide a new deal economically for the\nworkers, the farmers, and the underprivileged. Over the years\nsince then, these reforms have been continued and extended\n* pronounced Bä' jay"
}