Congress of Mexico
Encyclopedia
The Congress of the Union (formally: ; English
: General Congress of the United Mexican States) is the legislative branch of the Mexican government. Its structure and responsibilities are defined in Articles 50 to 79 of the 1917 Constitution
.
Congress is bicameral
– that is, it is composed of two chambers.
The upper chamber is the Senate
(Cámara de Senadores or Senado). It comprises 128 seats, 96 members are elected by direct popular vote for six-year terms; the other 32 seats are allocated based on proportional representation
.
The lower house is the Chamber of Deputies
(Cámara de Diputados). It has 500 seats, 300 members are elected by popular vote to three-year terms; the other 200 seats are allocated according to proportional representation.
In keeping with the Mexican tradition of "no reelection," deputies and senators are not eligible to immediately succeed themselves. Thus, the Congress is one of the few democratically elected legislatures in the world that is completely renewed at each election.
by the Roman numeral of its term. Thus, the current Congress (whose term lasts from 2009 to 2012) is known as the "LXI Legislature
"; the previous Congress (whose term lasted from 2006 to 2009) was the "LX Legislature
," and so forth. The I Legislature of Congress was the first Constitutional congress after the 1857 Constitution.
Early in the 20th century, the revolutionary leader Francisco I. Madero
popularized the slogan, Sufragio Efectivo – no Reelección (effective suffrage, no reelection). In keeping with that long held principle, the current 1917 Constitution
states that "Deputies and Senators cannot be reelected for the next immediate term."
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: General Congress of the United Mexican States) is the legislative branch of the Mexican government. Its structure and responsibilities are defined in Articles 50 to 79 of the 1917 Constitution
Constitution of Mexico
The Political Constitution of the United Mexican States is the current constitution of Mexico. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in the State of Querétaro, by a constitutional convention, during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constitutional Congress on February 5, 1917...
.
Congress is bicameral
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
– that is, it is composed of two chambers.
The upper chamber is the Senate
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
(Cámara de Senadores or Senado). It comprises 128 seats, 96 members are elected by direct popular vote for six-year terms; the other 32 seats are allocated based on proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
The lower house is the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
(Cámara de Diputados). It has 500 seats, 300 members are elected by popular vote to three-year terms; the other 200 seats are allocated according to proportional representation.
In keeping with the Mexican tradition of "no reelection," deputies and senators are not eligible to immediately succeed themselves. Thus, the Congress is one of the few democratically elected legislatures in the world that is completely renewed at each election.
Permanent Committee
the "", translated variously as the Permanent Committee or Standing Committee, is a body of 19 deputies and 18 senators that is responsible for tasks relating to the Congress when it is in recess.Term
It is conventional to refer to each LegislatureLegislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
by the Roman numeral of its term. Thus, the current Congress (whose term lasts from 2009 to 2012) is known as the "LXI Legislature
LXI Legislature of the Mexican Congress
The LXI Legislature of the Congress of Mexico meets from September 1, 2009, to August 31, 2012. Members of the upper house of the Congress were selected in the elections of July 2006 while members of the lower house of the Congress were selected in the elections of July 2009....
"; the previous Congress (whose term lasted from 2006 to 2009) was the "LX Legislature
LX Legislature of the Mexican Congress
The LX Legislature of the Congress of Mexico is meeting from September 1, 2006, to September 1, 2009. All members of both the lower and upper houses of Congress were elected in the elections of July 2006.-Senators by state:-Plurinominal Senators:...
," and so forth. The I Legislature of Congress was the first Constitutional congress after the 1857 Constitution.
Early in the 20th century, the revolutionary leader Francisco I. Madero
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González was a politician, writer and revolutionary who served as President of Mexico from 1911 to 1913. As a respectable upper-class politician, he supplied a center around which opposition to the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz could coalesce...
popularized the slogan, Sufragio Efectivo – no Reelección (effective suffrage, no reelection). In keeping with that long held principle, the current 1917 Constitution
Constitution of Mexico
The Political Constitution of the United Mexican States is the current constitution of Mexico. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in the State of Querétaro, by a constitutional convention, during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constitutional Congress on February 5, 1917...
states that "Deputies and Senators cannot be reelected for the next immediate term."