Southern Cone Under the British

Politics

     In the wake of the British takeover of much of the Viceroyalty of La Plata, in Auchmuty-Whitelocke World (AWW), what are now Argentina and Uruguay were a part of the British Empire, the only area in South America outside Guyana to be in that empire.  As such, the entire area was known as British South America up until 1880, the year of Confederation in Argentina.  In 1880, Argentina obtained dominion status, and became formally known as the United Provinces of the Argentine (or more simply the Argentine Union or [rarely] the Union of the Argentine).  Before 1880, British South America was a collection of British colonies, the leading one of which being the Plate Colony.  Since Uruguay opted out of Confederation for various reasons, it remained its own colony, and became a dominion in 1903.  It became officially known as the Oriental Dominion of Uruguay.  

     In 1931, the Statute of Westminster made Argentina and Uruguay independent countries within the British Commonwealth.  Both countries created their own citizenships, distinct from Britain's, in 1947 (the same year as Canada).  The position of governor-general represented Queen Elizabeth II as Sovereign in both countries until 1956 in Argentina and 1967 in Uruguay.  Those were the respective times when Argentina and Uruguay became republics; namely, the Argentine Republic and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.  Even today, however, both remain within the Commonwealth.

     Argentina’s political system today, in AWW, is republican but parliamentary, with a President being both the head of state and head of government, just like in South Africa; the President is, in effect, a prime minister.  The parliament is divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives, the latter being elected by the people.  The New Pink House serves as the Government House and is the official residence of the President (and formerly of the Argentine Governor-General).  Griffon Manor was the Prime Minister's official residence before that post was removed in 1976.  Women were granted the right to vote in Argentina in 1927, though some provinces allowed female suffrage sooner.   

     It is a federal democracy, consisting of 16 provinces and two territories (the national territory of Fireland, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands; and the federal Capital Territory - coterminous with the city of Wilsonton).  The provinces and national territory are run by premiers, much like those in the South African provinces.  In each province and territory, the legislature or parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislative Assembly.  Six provinces (Cuyo, New Lancashire, North Mesopotamia, Plate, Salta, and South Mesopotamia) also have an upper house, the Legislative Council.  In addition, Tucuman and Cordova provinces used to have a Legislative Council until they were abolished - in 1990 and 2001, respectively.  The Fireland national territory has been self-governing since 1970.  The provinces and the Fireland territory can be further divided into counties except in Plate Province, which consists of administrative areas (in Spanish, partidos administrativos).  In the early days of the Argentine Union, the federation was quite centralized, but it gradually became quite a bit decentralized; for example, the provision for federal intervention of provincial leadership was abolished in 1976.  

     Within the city (technically, administrative area) of Buenos Aires, districts were the main units of local government.  Since 1994, boroughs (which are larger but more functional and hence more decentralized) have made up the local government.  Wilsonton has been a self-governing city (in the context of the Capital Territory) since 1987.  The city of Rosario has been thinking of being an autonomous city as well, because it gets less of a share of funds and resources from New Lancashire than Santa Fe, the provincial capital.  In general, counties and administrative areas, along with municipalities, and with townships  and/or other municipal organizations in some provinces, are headed by a mayor.
 

     Political parties include the Civic Union Party (more liberal; aka the Civic Party) and the National Party (more conservative), along with scores of smaller ones, including a few hispanoparlant nationalist parties calling for independence (especially in the west) or joining up with Chile or Bolivia.  Concerning the armed forces, the President is also the commander-in-chief.  Service is voluntary, and in the early 1990s, 123,000 men served in the army (along with a few women in non-combat jobs).  The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land; the President appoints its members, of which the leading member is the Chief Justice.  The President also appoints judges of the federal Courts of Appeals.  Each province has its own Supreme Court and lower courts system.  Provincial premiers appoint the provincial court judges. 

     Argentina’s legal system, federally, is a mix of English common law and Spanish civil law (with an emphasis on English common law).  The same thing is true on the provincial level in the Pampas, Patagonia, and the northeast, and in the western part of the country (from Cordova and Mendoza northwards), Spanish civil law is emphasized within mixed provincial legal systems.  In provinces with large concentrations of Aboriginal people, especially in the northwest, there is also some input of customary law from native traditions. 

     The presence of English common law is a major reason why Argentina is much more developed, democratic, and less corrupt than most of its neighbours.  The English system ensures economic and political stability because such a system spawns freedom, respect for the rule of law, trial by judge/jury, and a strong civil society (all of which minimize corruption), along with democratic and British-inspired institutions, and capitalist, free-market economies – just look at the United States, Canada, or Australia.  The predominantly white population of Argentina, just like in those three other countries, adds to the high degree of development there, since whites have historically tended to be more economically powerful (not to be racist here).

     The intelligence agency is called the Secretariat of Intelligence (SI), or Secretaria de Inteligencía in Spanish – formerly the Secretariat of State Intelligence (SSI), or Secretaria de Inteligencía del Estado (SIDE) in Spanish.  This is part of the National Intelligence System (NIS), or Sístema de Inteligencía Nacional in Spanish (formed in 2001 during a reorganization of the intelligence system in Argentina).  The national police forces in Argentina, in charge of such things as riot control, are the Argentine Federal Police (AFP), or Policia Federal Argentina in Spanish, and the Argentine National Gendarmerie (ANG), or the Gendarmería Nacional Argentina in Spanish.  There are individual police forces for each province, including the important Plate Province Police (PPP).

     The political system in Uruguay today is also parliamentary republican, although with less of a divergence from British political organization than in Argentina.  A unitary democracy, it has both a ceremonial President and a Prime Minister, just like in some other ex-British colonies like Ireland, Malta, and Trinidad and Tobago.  In Uruguay, the people elect a President through the House of Representatives, then the President appoints a Prime Minister; the Prime Minister is the most powerful leader.  Women in Uruguay got the right to vote in 1912.  The country consists of 26 counties, with the same status as counties or administrative areas in Argentina.  These counties are led by a mayor.  There is an autonomous region called Upper Uruguay, for increased Spanish-speaking autonomy; it covers 8 counties in the northeast of the country.  Upper Uruguay has almost the same status as Argentine provinces.   

     The parliament, officially called the General Assembly, is divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives, the latter being elected by the people.  The main political parties are the conservative National Party (much like the Blancos in our world), and the Liberal Party (much like our world’s Colorados).  As for the armed forces, service is voluntary, and in the early 1990s, 22,000 people served.  The Supreme Court of Justice is the highest court in the land, and has 5 members who are elected by Parliament to 10-year terms.  The highest-ranking member is the Chief Justice.  There are also Appeals Courts, various lower courts, and justices of the peace.  The legal system in Uruguay is a blend of English common law and Spanish civil law, with an emphasis on the former.  The English common law is a big reason for Uruguay’s advanced political and economic development, for the same reasons outlined above.  Uruguay’s police force is called the National Police (NP), or Policia Nacional in Spanish.

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    Some Governors for Selected Colonies

Plate Colony (established in 1807)

Cordova Colony (established in 1826)

Uruguay Colony (established in 1828)

Tucuman Colony (established in 1834)

Cuyo Colony (established in 1843)

Note: Since some places are named for any of the governors above, consult the gazetteer if you want to find out where they are.

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Political Leaders of Argentina since 1880

Prime Ministers of the United Provinces (1880-1955)

Prime Ministers of the Republic with Ceremonial Presidents (1956-76)

Presidents of the Republic (1976-)

Political Leaders of Uruguay since 1903

Prime Ministers of the Oriental Dominion (1903-1967)

    
* Was Premier for a short time in 1899 as well.

     Prime Ministers of the Republic with Ceremonial Presidents (1967-)

     Some of the descriptions of the various components of the governments come from the World Book Encyclopedia, World Book Inc., Volumes 1 and 20, 1993.

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