Using a constitutional provision that had never been invoked, Comisión Nacional Pro-Referéndum (CNR) organized a referendum in Uruguay. The public could vote on whether to uphold a congressional decision granting impunity to military personnel involved in human rights abuses. To petition the government to hold this referendum, CNR needed to collect signatures from 25 percent of eligible voters within one year of the law’s passage.
Grassroots Movement Powers Uruguay’s Referendum Campaign
Gathering signatures from a quarter of the population required extensive organization and volunteer support, much of which came from women’s movements. Organizing participants posed a significant challenge. During a national campaign day, organizers coordinated 9,000 brigadistas, or volunteer signature collectors. They used computers and spreadsheets to manage and tabulate the signatures in this large-scale effort.
After collecting the signatures, CNR submitted them to the government and publicly defended their validity before the electoral review committee. Throughout the campaign, CNR faced government and media opposition, which they countered through grassroots organizing. They distributed leaflets, displayed banners and posters, and held rallies, music festivals, and bike marathons.
Although the referendum was narrowly defeated, CNR’s efforts created a new democratic tool for Uruguay. During the campaign, brigadistas personally visited one in three Uruguayans. Since then, Uruguayans have attempted eight additional popular referendums. The brigadistas and CNR leaders have remained active in politics, continuing to shape Uruguayan democracy.
Sometimes legislative and government tools exist but the public is unaware of them or does not know how to put them to use. A group in Uruguay organized a remarkable public effort aimed at preventing abusers in the Uruguayan military from being granted immunity from prosecution. The CNR did not achieve its ultimate goal of overturning the law granting impunity, but it did mobilize civil society in Uruguay in an unprecedented way and made impunity a national issue. The brigadistas’ visits made an extraordinary number of people aware of the law first-hand and many more became aware of the issue through media coverage. Legal provisions like the little-used referendum power in Uruguay are not available in every country. Signatures can still be collected on petitions, however, as an avenue of public awareness and a declaration to the government that the public is dissatisfied with government policies.
New Tactics in Human Rights does not advocate for or endorse specific tactics, policies or issues.
