The Election Certification Tribunal () is a specialized jurisdictional body in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

with its headquarters in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. It serves as the topmost authority of electoral justice and is responsible for supervising the overall scrutiny and validation of the elections for the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and the members of the National Congress. Additionally, Tricel resolves any complaints arising from the election process and proclaims the elected candidates. Previously, these duties were assigned to the Full Congress and each legislative chamber, respectively. Tricel also has the responsibility to resolve appeals of decisions made by regional electoral tribunals.

History

Tricel was originally established under Article 79 of the 1925 Constitution to oversee electoral processes in Chile. However, its operations were suspended following the military coup of September 11, 1973. The 1980 Constitution expanded its jurisdiction to include all elections regulated by the constitution and electoral laws, as well as those related to professional associations. Tricel resumed its functions in 1987. Before Tricel's establishment, the authority to validate or annul elections was vested in the chambers of Congress for legislative elections and in the full Congress for presidential elections, a system that had been in place since the 1833 Constitution.

Composition

The tribunal is composed of five members appointed as follows: * Four judges from the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, selected by lottery in the manner and time established by the respective organic law, and * One citizen who has served as president or vice president of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

or the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for a period of no less than 365 days, designated by lottery by the Supreme Court from among all those who meet the indicated qualifications.

Current members

For the 2020-2024 four-year term, Tricel is composed of: * Minister Juan Eduardo Fuentes Belmar, president (since 11 March 2022) * Minister Ricardo Blanco Herrera * Minister Jorge Dahm Oyarzún * Minister Adelita Ravanales Arriagada * Minister Sergio Romero Pizarro (former president of the Senate, 1997-1998, 2005–2006)

Regional Electoral Tribunals

Under the 1980 constitutional framework, electoral justice in Chile also includes regional electoral tribunals (), which are responsible for overseeing the general scrutiny and certification of elections for regional councilors, mayors, municipal councilors, professional associations, and neighborhood boards. These tribunals also resolve disputes arising from electoral processes and officially proclaim the elected candidates. Each region in Chile has one regional electoral tribunal, headquartered in its capital city, except for the

Metropolitan Region A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metropolitan area usually ...

, which has two. These tribunals are composed of a judge from the respective Court of Appeals, elected by their peers, and two members appointed by Tricel, all serving four-year terms.

References

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External links

Tricel official website
Election law Politics of Chile 1925 establishments in Chile