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The Election Certification Court (Spanish: Tribunal Calificador de Elecciones, Tricel) is a specialized jurisdictional body in Chile with its headquarters in Santiago. 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 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 courts.
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Tricel was originally established by Article 79 of the 1925 Constitution,[1] but its operations were halted in 1973 after the September 11th coup d'état. In the 1980 Constitution, its scope of action covers all elections prescribed in the document, electoral laws, and those related to guilds. It resumed its functions in 1987.[2]
Since the 1980 Constitution, electoral justice is also composed of regional electoral courts responsible for certifying guild and constitutionally prescribed elections. These courts are made up of a judge from the respective Court of Appeals, elected by it, and two members chosen by the Tricel, who serve four-year terms.[2]
Previously, since the enactment of the 1833 Political Constitution, the process of determining the validity or nullity of elections, both presidential and parliamentary, was entrusted to the respective chambers for their members and to the full Congress in the case of presidential elections.[1]
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The tribunal is composed of five members appointed as follows:[2]
- Four judges from the Supreme Court, 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 or the Senate 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.
For the 2020-2024 four-year term, Tricel is composed of:[1]
- 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)
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