Changes to the electoral law prior to the elections allowed third parties like the Broad Front a wider opportunity for participation. Parties were now required to hold primaries on the same day in April to elect a single presidential candidate; previously
several candidates from a single party had been able to run for the presidency. The reforms also introduced the
two-round system for the presidential election, with a candidate now required to receive over 50% of the vote to be elected in the first round, or face a run-off against the second-place candidate. Although the
double simultaneous vote system (in which voters cast a single vote for the party of their choice for the Presidency, Senate and Chamber of Representatives) was retained, it prevented parties from submitting different lists. The 30 members of the
Senate were elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, whilst the 99 members of the
Chamber of Representatives were elected by proportional representation in 19 multi-member constituencies based on the
departments. Seats were allocated using the
highest averages method. ==Primaries==