The National Council of Government (Spanish: Consejo Nacional de Gobierno) was the ruling body in Uruguay between 1952 and 1967.
Generally known as the colegiado system,[1] it had previously existed as the National Council of Administration (Spanish: Consejo Nacional de Administración) between 1918 and 1933.
[2] The colegiado system had been first proposed by President José Batlle y Ordóñez in 1913, with the aim of creating an executive body similar to the Swiss Federal Council.
[1] Batlle had been opposed to the presidential system, believing that a collegiate body would lower the risk of a dictatorship emerging.
Twelve citizens presided in succession: four Colorados (Luis Batlle Berres, Alberto Fermín Zubiría, Arturo Lezama and Carlos Fischer) and eight Blancos (Martín Echegoyen, Benito Nardone, Eduardo Víctor Haedo, Faustino Harrison, Daniel Fernández Crespo, Luis Giannattasio, Washington Beltrán, and Alberto Héber Usher).