interesente

Interesente is a legal term used in some Spanish-speaking jurisdictions to denote a natural or legal person who has a direct and legitimate interest in the outcome of a proceeding, decision, or project and who is recognized as having the right to participate, comment, or appeal in the process. The concept is related to, but not identical to, the formal parties to a dispute and to witnesses or experts.

In administrative procedures and environmental or urban planning contexts, interesentes may include residents, neighboring property owners, associations, businesses, or non-governmental organizations that could be affected by the outcome. They typically have rights to notice and access to information, to submit observations, to request hearings, and, in some systems, to appeal or intervene in proceedings. The exact scope of rights and the procedures for participation vary by jurisdiction and by specific statute or regulation.

Compared with the broader English term “interested party” or “stakeholder,” the notion of interesente emphasizes recognized standing within a legal or administrative process. Some jurisdictions prefer related terms such as interesado, interveniente, or parte interesada for formal standing, while interesente may appear in civil codes or administrative laws in particular regions. The etymology traces to interés plus ente, indicating an entity that has a stake in the matter.

Examples include a neighborhood association objecting to a zoning change, a tenant seeking access to a public planning meeting, or a business affected by a regulatory decision joining the process as an interesente.