1984 Uruguayan general election

Uruguay's election of November 25, 1984 ended the civic-military dictatorship, and Julio María Sanguinetti of the Colorado Party won the presidency. Close to 88 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. It earns its place as an honest example of a flawed founding vote that still worked. The count was considered transparent, but a number of politicians were barred from standing, so the outgoing regime shaped the field even as it handed over power. That trade, a restricted first contest in exchange for a clean count, is worth weighing against the open races elsewhere on this list.