Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The
Chamber of Deputies (
Spanish:
Cámara de Diputados) is the lower house of
Mexico's
bicameral legislature, the
Congress of the Union. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 [
1] of the
1917 Constitution of Mexico.
The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one "deputy" for every 200,000 citizens. Currently (as of 2006 election) there are 500 deputies.
Of these, 300 "majority deputies" are directly elected by
plurality from single-member districts. The remaining 200 "party deputies" are assigned through complex rules of
proportional representation. These seats are not tied to districts, rather they are allocated to parties based on each party's share of the national vote. The 200 party deputies are intended to counterbalance the sectional interests of the district-based deputies.
The Chamber of Deputies is completely replaced every three years since all seats are subject to reelection and deputies are not permitted to serve consecutive terms. Congressional elections held halfway into the president's six year mandate are known as mid-term elections.
*
Politics of Mexico*
List of political parties in Mexico*
Mexican Senate*
Chamber of Deputies*
Federal Electoral Institute
