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Hold criminally responsible and punish according to provisions of the Penal Code those over 16 and under 18 years of age. Maintain records of those under 16 in conflict with criminal law | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Uruguayportal |
A constitutional referendum, officially referred to as the referendum to lower the age of criminal responsibility (Spanish : plebiscito para bajar la edad de imputabilidad), was held in Uruguay on 26 October 2014, alongside general elections. Voters were asked whether Article 43 of the Constitution should be amended to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16. [1] The proposal was rejected by 53% of voters.
During the electoral campaign for the 2009 elections, security was a significant issue, with criticism of the Broad Front government from the two main opposition parties, the National Party and the Colorado Party, regarding its handling of the issue. Towards the second half of 2010, several bills had been created that were aimed at modifying the legal framework that governs crimes committed by young people between 16 and 18 years of age, either by toughening the penalties, judging them as adults, or maintaining their legal record once they came of age. [2]
On 17 April 2012, the signatures aimed at enabling a plebiscite were delivered to the Electoral Court, which were verified on 6 September, exceeding the 250,000 (10% of those authorized to vote) necessary to hold the vote. [3]
Choice | Votes | % |
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For | 1,110,283 | 46.81 |
Against | 1,261,834 | 53.19 |
Total | 2,372,117 | 100 |
Registered voters/turnout | 2,620,235 | 90.53 |
Source: Corte Electoral |
The Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile of 1980 is the fundamental law in force in Chile. It was approved and promulgated under the military dictatorship headed by Augusto Pinochet, being ratified by the Chilean citizenry through a referendum on September 11, 1980, although being held under restrictions and without electoral registers. The constitutional text took effect, in a transitory regime, on March 11, 1981, and then entered into full force on March 11, 1990, with the return to electoral democracy. It was amended for the first time in 1989, and afterward in 1991, 1994, 1997, each year from 1999 to 2001, 2003, each year from 2007 to 2015, and each year from 2017 to 2021, with the last three amendments concerning the current constituent process. In September 2005, under Ricardo Lagos's presidency, a large amendment of the Constitution was approved by parliamentarians, removing from the text some of the less democratic dispositions coming from Pinochet's regime, such as senators-for-life and appointed senators, as well as the armed forces' warranty of the democratic regime.
A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. The most common voting age is 18 years; however, voting ages as low as 16 and as high as 25 currently exist (see list below). Most countries have set a minimum voting age, often set in their constitution. In a number of countries voting is compulsory for those eligible to vote, while in most it is optional.
Chile holds nationwide presidential, parliamentary, regional and municipal elections.
A constitutional referendum was held in Chile on 11 September 1980. The proposed new constitution would replace the 1925 constitution, and was approved by over two-thirds of voters.
Luis Alberto Aparicio Alejandro Lacalle Pou is a Uruguayan politician and lawyer serving as President of Uruguay since 1 March 2020.
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A referendum on the political status of Puerto Rico was held in Puerto Rico on November 6, 2012. It was the fourth referendum on status to be held in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has been an unincorporated territory of the United States since the Spanish–American War in 1898.
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The 2017 Venezuelan referendum was held in Venezuela on 16 July 2017. The referendum was called by the National Assembly in response to the constitutional crisis and President Nicolás Maduro's plans for a Constituent Assembly. The referendum is an act of civil disobedience in the context of the application of Articles 333 and 350 of the Venezuelan constitution, with the articles calling for Venezuelans to "disown any regime ... that violates democratic values", especially since the National Electoral Council and the Supreme Tribunal of Justice are not recognized in the referendum. The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) announced that there would be 2,030 areas for the popular consultation nationwide to serve more than 19 million voters.
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Women's suffrage in Francoist Spain and the democratic transition was constrained by age limits, definitions around heads of household and a lack of elections. Women got the right to vote in Spain in 1933 as a result of legal changes made during the Second Spanish Republic. Women lost most of their rights after Franco came to power in 1939 at the end of the Spanish Civil War, with the major exception that women did not universally lose their right to vote. Repression of the women's vote occurred nevertheless as the dictatorship held no national democratic elections between 1939 and 1977.
The 2019 Uruguayan constitutional referendum, officially referred to as the referendum for constitutional reform on security matters, took place alongside general election of that year, on 27 October 2019, to ask the electorate whether a constitutional reform in public security should be approved. The proposed amendments to the Constitution would create a national guard, forbid early release for some serious crimes, introduce life sentences for crimes of rape, sexual abuse or homicide of minors as well as aggravated homicide of adults, and allow the police to conduct night raids. The referendum resulted in 46.8% of the votes cast in favor of amending the Constitution; however, not reaching the necessary 50%, the amendment was not approved, being rejected by 53.7% of the votes.
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The 2020 Chilean national plebiscite was held in Chile on 25 October 2020. The referendum asked whether a new constitution should be drafted, and whether it should be drafted by a constitutional convention, made up by members elected directly for this convention, or by a mixed constitutional convention, made up in halves by currently-sitting members of Parliament and directly elected citizens. The "Approve" side won by a landslide, with 78% agreeing to draft a new constitution. On how the new text should be written, 79% opted for a "Constitutional Convention". Voter turnout was 51%.
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A referendum on the Urgent Consideration Law was held in Uruguay to ask the electorate if 135 articles of Law 19,889 – approved by the General Assembly in 2020 and considered as the main legislative initiative of the coalition government of President Luis Lacalle Pou — should be repealed. It was the result of a campaign promoted by various social and political actors such as the national trade union center PIT-CNT and the opposition party Broad Front. On 8 July 2021, almost 800,000 adhesions were delivered to the Electoral Court, exceeding 25% of the total number of registered voters who are constitutionally required to file a referendum appeal against a law.