LOS ACTOS DE LOS GOBIERNOS DEPARTAMENTALES Y SU CONTROL POR LOS MECANISMOS DE GOBIERNO DIRECTO

At Local Governments’ level, Uruguay’s Constitution states two mechanisms for direct participation, namely: referendum and popular initiative. Until 2013, the Electoral Board’s case law had denied the existence of such institutes, arguing that they required to be regulated by the lawmaker. Current case law of such Board, however, enshrines the existence of both institutes, although with serious limitations that, to the author’s view, violate the constitutional text, and that are analyzed throughout this paper.