Naval Club, Pact of the

Pact of the Naval Club, an agreement reached on August 3, 1984, between Uruguay's military and a majority of the political opposition. The agreement was the culmination of a series of meetings in the Naval Club that sought to transfer power from the military to democratically elected civilians. This process had included a plebiscite in 1980, internal party elections in 1982, and successive attempts at negotiation. Participating groups among the opposition included the Frente Amplio (some organizations of which were returned to legal status by the agreement) and the Colorado Party, but not the Blanco (National) Party, whose principal leader was in prison at the time. The agreement confirmed November 1984 as a date for general elections that would involve the active participation of all political forces, although not of all of their leaders. It also confirmed concessions by the military to accept an advisory council on matters of national security dominated by the president and his cabinet and a one-year period during which they would be able to name commanders in chief. In political terms, the agreement was a triumph for the Colorado strategy of transition, which was crowned by its success at the polls in the 1984 election. It also provided important guarantees for the military in the future democracy, especially concerning the possibility of trials for human rights violations.

See alsoUruguay, Political Parties: Blanco Party; Uruguay, Political Parties: Colorado Party.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Martin Weinstein, Uruguay: Democracy at the Crossroads (1988).

Charles Gillespie, Negotiating Democracy (1991).

                                      Fernando Filgueira