The 2020 subnational elections in Uruguay: The consolidation of the Right-Wing Electoral Power in the territory

Abstract

ABSTRACT This report analyses the subnational elections in Uruguay in 2020. The main findings show an important consolidation of the right-wing parties, particularly the Partido Nacional, both at the second and third level of government (departments and municipalities respectively). This electoral power is reflected in three events. Firstly, the victory claimed by such party in 15 out of the country’s 19 departmental governments, with cases in which electoral competition tends to be very low. A decreased electoral volatility between national and departmental elections is also associated with such power. Finally, there is the clear victory of the Partido Nacional at the municipal level, where it has managed to be elected in 90 out of the 125 local governments. In a country with one of the most consolidated democracies in the region, this paper raises the issue about the lack of competitiveness at the subnational level in several territories of the country.