Electoral Service
| Chile portal |
The Electoral Service of Chile (Spanish: Servicio Electoral de Chile), better known by its acronym Servel, is an autonomous constitutional agency responsible for overseeing electoral processes in Chile. It administers national elections and referendums, supervises political party operations, ensures compliance with campaign finance regulations, and maintains the electoral register and party registry. Servel is the highest administrative authority on electoral matters in the country.
Servel’s legal framework is established by a constitutional organic law, while its internal organization, staffing, and operational regulations are defined by statute.
Servel began operating on 1 October 1986 as the legal successor to the Electoral Registry Directorate (Dirección del Registro Electoral). Judicial oversight of electoral processes is exercised by the Election Certification Tribunal (Tribunal Calificador de Elecciones) and the Regional Electoral Tribunals.
A constitutional reform enacted in 2015 granted Servel full autonomy. Prior to this reform, the agency operated under the supervision of the President of the Republic through the Ministry of the Interior.