Election Certification Tribunal


The Election Certification Tribunal is Chile's highest authority on electoral justice, responsible for supervising, validating, and proclaiming the results of presidential and congressional elections. Headquartered in Santiago, it also resolves complaints related to the electoral process and hears appeals from regional electoral tribunals. Established under the 1925 Constitution and redefined by the 1980 Constitution, Tricel replaced the previous system in which the Full Congress and each legislative chamber certified election results.

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:
For the 2024-2028 four-year term, Tricel is composed of:
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, 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.