Congress of Mexico

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Congress (formally: Congreso de la Unión or Congress of the Union) is the legislative branch of the Mexican government. Its structure and responsibilities are defined in Articles 50 to 79 of the 1917 Constitution of Mexico.

The Mexican Congress is bicameral – that is, it is composed of two chambers. The upper chamber is the Senate (Cámara de Senadores or Senado). The lower house is the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados).

[edit] Term

It is conventional to refer to each Legislature by the roman numeral of its term. Thus, the current Congress (whose term lasts from 2006 to 2009) is known as the "LX Legislature"; the previous Congress (whose term lasted from 2003 to 2006) was the "LIX Legislature," and so forth. The I Legislature of Mexican Congress was the first Constitutional congress after 1857's Constitution.

Early in the 20th century, the Mexican leader, Francisco Madero, popularized the slogan, Sufragio Efectivo – no Reelección (effective suffrage, no reelection). In keeping with that long held principle, the Mexican Constitution states that "Deputies and Senators cannot be reelected for the next immediate term."[1]

[edit] The 2 parts

Senate- 128 seats, 96 of those seats are elected by popular vote for 6 year terms; the other 32 seats are decided based on the population of the political party

Federal chambers- 500 seats, 300 seats are elected by popular vote to 3 year terms; the other 200 seats are decided by the population of the political parties

[edit] References

  1. ^ Constitution of 1917, article 50, 59.