National Congress of Chile

Last updated
National Congress of Chile

Congreso Nacional de Chile
LVI legislative period
Coat of arms of Chile (c).svg
Coat of arms of Chile
Type
Type
Houses Senate
Chamber of Deputies
History
FoundedJuly 4, 1811
(First National Congress)
Leadership
Structure
SeatsTotal: 205
50 senators
155 deputies
Senadores Chile.svg
Senate political groups
Government: 22

  PS (7)   PPD (6)   PCCh (2)   FREVS (2)   RD (1)   Independent (1)

Contents

  • External support (3)

  PDC (3)

Opposition: 27:

  RN (11)   UDI (9)   EVOPOLI (3)

  • External (4)

  PLR (2)   Democrats (2)

Others: 1

  Independent (1)


Diputados Chile.svg
Chamber of Deputies political groups
Government: 68

  PS (13)   PCCh (11)   CS (10)   PPD (9)   RD (6)   PL (5)   Commons (4)   PR (3)   AH (2)   FREVS (1)   Independent1 (1)

  • Outside the coalition (6):

  PDC (5)   PH (5)

Opposition: 79

  UDI (23)   RN (22)   EVÓPOLI (4)

  • Outside the coalition (30)

  PLR (12) PSC (7)   Democratas (6)   PDG (3)   AxCh (1)   Independent (1)

Others: 2

  Independents (2)


Length of term
  • Senators: eight-years term with the option to go for re-election one time
  • Deputies: four-years term, may go for re-election two times
Meeting place
Congreso Nacional de Chile.jpg
Edificio del Congreso Nacional
Valparaíso
Chile
Website
Cámara de Diputados (in Spanish)
Senado (in Spanish)

The National Congress of Chile [1] (Spanish : Congreso Nacional de Chile) is the legislative branch of the Republic of Chile. According to the current Constitution (Chilean Constitution of 1980), it is a bicameral organ made up of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. Established by law No. 18678 [2] , the city of Valparaíso is its official headquarters.

Chile's congress is the oldest operational in Latin America and one the oldest Ibero-America. The First Chilean National Congress was founded on July 4, 1811, to decide the best kind of government for the Kingdom of Chile during the captivity of King Ferdinand VII in the hands of Napoleon.

The Chamber of Deputies is constituted by 155 members called deputies or diputados in Spanish and they are elected for a four-years period. Re-election is possible for a maximum of two times, which means that the deputy may remain in the post for up to 12 years [3] . The country has 60 electoral districts and each one is represented by two deputies.

The Senate is formed by 50 senators elected for an eight-years period and may go for re-election one time, which means a senator can remain in the role for 16 years [3] . The electoral division is different from the deputies, it is made of 19 senatorial constituencies (Spanish:circunscripción senatorial), where two senators are elected per constituency.

The Congress's powers, duties and processes are defined in articles 42 to 59 of the current constitution of 1980 and through the Constitutional Organic Law No. 18918 [4] published in 1990.

The current electoral system (or voting system) in Chile is proportional and inclusive according to the 2015 update of the organic law No. 18700, article 179 bis [5] .

The National Congress was closed without an immediate renewal of the members of its two chambers during three periods: 1924-1925, June-October 1932 and 1973-1989.

A new four-years legislative period begins with the installation of the National Congress. The LVI legislative period of the Chilean Congress began on March 11, 2022 and will end in 2026.

History

Patria Vieja

Patria Nueva

Dictatorship 1973-1990

On 13 September 1973, the Government Junta of Chile dissolved Congress. [6]

During the last years of the Pinochet regime, the current building of Congress was built in the port city of Valparaíso, some 140 km west of the country's capital, Santiago. This new building replaced the Former National Congress Building, located in downtown Santiago.

Transition to Democracy

Between 1989 and 2013, elections in Chile were carried out following a binomial voting system, which was prescribed in 1980 during the Military dictatorship of Chile.

The binomial system was considered by most analysts as the main constitutional lock that prevented completion of the Chilean transition to democracy.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congress of the Union</span> Legislature of Mexico

The Congress of the Union, formally known as the General Congress of the United Mexican States, is the legislature of the federal government of Mexico consisting of two chambers: the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies. Its 628 members meet in Mexico City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senate of Chile</span> Upper house of National Congress of Chile

The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamber of Deputies of Chile</span> Lower house of the National Congress of Chile

The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Chile</span> Political elections for public offices in Chile

Elections in Chile are held nationwide, including the presidency, parliament, regional offices, and municipal positions. Chilean citizens and foreign residents with legal residency of at least five years, who are 18 years or older on election day, are eligible to vote. Previously, voting was voluntary, but since 2023, it has become compulsory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Florida, Chile</span> Commune in Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile

La Florida is an urban-suburban commune of Chile located in the South East of Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It is a residential area and its inhabitants are mostly members of a new middle to upper-middle class. It ranks number 12 out of 346 among Chilean communes in terms of Human Development Index. Its mayor is Rodolfo Carter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile</span> Presiding Officer of the Lower House of the Chilean Congress

The president of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile is the highest authority of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile. The office was established in 1811 by the First National Congress of Chile.

Gorbea is a Chilean city and commune located in Cautín Province, Araucanía Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guido Girardi</span> Chilean politician

Guido Girardi Lavín is a Chilean doctor and politician. He was a senator in district no. 7 for Santiago Poniente. He previously served as the president of that chamber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal Party (Chile, 1988)</span> Political party in Chile

The Liberal Party was a Chilean centrist political party existing between 1988 and 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Antonio Núñez</span> Chilean politician

Marco Antonio Núñez Lozano is a Chilean politician. He was President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile between 17 March 2015 and 22 March 2016. Núñez is member of the Party for Democracy and was a member of the Chamber of Deputies between 2006 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Library of the National Congress of Chile</span>

The Library of the National Congress of Chile is a service of the National Congress of Chile that serves as an information center for the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The library advises parliamentarians in the social sciences, law, legislation, history, and the development of Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilia Nuyado</span> Chilean politician

Emilia Iris Nuyado Ancapichún is a Chilean politician of Mapuche-Huillliche descent. Since March 11, 2018 she has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies representing the 25th district in the Los Lagos Region. She also became one of the first two Mapuche women elected to the Chilean Congress, together with her conservative counterpart Aracely Leuquén.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Ballesteros Reyes</span> Chilean politician and diplomat (1931–2019)

Hugo Eugenio Ballesteros Reyes was a Chilean politician and diplomat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florcita Motuda</span> Chilean politician and musician

Raúl Florcita Alarcón Rojas, popularly known as Florcita Motuda, is a Chilean musician and politician. He served as National Deputy in the Chamber of Deputies between March 2018 and March 2022, representing district 17. He was one of the most historical members of the Humanist Party. He is well known for his flamboyant style for clothing and musical work, even when serving as Deputy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Álvaro Covarrubias</span> Chilean politician

Álvaro José Miguel Covarrubias Ortúzar was a Chilean politician and lawyer who served as President of the Senate of Chile. He also stood as an independent candidate in the Chilean presidential elections in 1871, 1876, 1881 and 1886.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rojo Edwards</span> Chilean politician and civil engineer (born 1977)

José Manuel Rojo Edwards Silva, known as Rojo Edwards, is a Chilean politician and civil engineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aracely Leuquén Uribe</span> Chilean politician

Aracely Andrea Leuquén Uribe is a Chilean politician. She is a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile from the National Renewal Party. A traditionalist conservative, she opposes same-sex marriage and abortion. When she took office on March 11, 2018, she became one of the first two Mapuche women elected to the Chilean Congress, together with her Socialist counterpart Emilia Nuyado. She did not run for re-election in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaspar Rivas</span>

Gaspar Alberto Rivas Sánchez is a Chilean lawyer and politician. Since March 2022, he has been a deputy of the Republic representing District 6 of the Valparaíso Region as a member of the Party of the People.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jovino Novoa Vidal</span> Chilean politician (1822–1892)

Jovino Novoa Vidal was a Chilean lawyer, diplomat and liberal politician. He served several times as a parliamentarian, in addition to having been mayor of the province of Valparaíso from 1858 to 1860 and, then Minister of Finance between 1859 and 1861, both during the administration of President Manuel Montt. During the War of the Pacific (1879), he served as minister plenipotentiary in Lima, for which he signed the Treaty of Ancón, remaining in office until 1886. Simultaneously he functioned as ambassador of Chile to the Kingdom of Spain, signing the 1883 Chilean–Spanish Treaty, which put an end to the state of war between both nations in force since the Spanish–South American War (1864-1866).

References

  1. ↑ Cabrera-Tapia, Roberto (2021). "The Chilean Congress: Bicameralism in a Presidential System" (PDF). PSA Parliaments specialist group.
  2. ↑ Nacional, Biblioteca del Congreso. "Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional | Ley Chile". www.bcn.cl/leychile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  3. 1 2 Congreso Nacional de Chile, Biblioteca (2014-11-27). "Limits to the re-election of deputies and senators". Portal de la Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  4. ↑ Nacional, Biblioteca del Congreso. "Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional | Ley Chile". www.bcn.cl/leychile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  5. ↑ Biblioteca, Congreso Nacional de Chile. "Organic law about popular vote". www.bcn.cl/leychile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  6. ↑ "Junta general names himself as new President of Chile". The Guardian. 14 September 1973. Retrieved 31 October 2018.

33°02′52″S71°36′21″W / 33.04778°S 71.60583°W / -33.04778; -71.60583

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.