Legislative Branch
Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la República). The upper house is the Senate (Senado) with 32 members, elected for a four year term in single-seat constituencies. The lower house is the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) with 178 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation in accordance to each province, as follows: one deputy is elected for every 50,000 inhabitants plus fraction exceeding 25,000, but never less than two.
Among the attributions of the Senate are the following:
- Studying and approving laws.
- To appoint the President and other members of the Central Electoral Board and their deputies.
- To appoint the members of the Public Accounts Chamber.
- To approve or not the appointment of diplomatic agents made by the Executive.
- To decide on the claims of the Chamber of Deputies against public officers for misconduct or serious faults in the performance of their duties.
- In the event of public accusation, the Senate may only impose the sanction of removal from office. However, the removed officer may be subject to being tried according to the respective statutes, if applicable. For the removal of office, a vote of at least ¾ of all members of the Senate is required.
Congressional and municipal elections are held separately from the presidential elections. Re-election is always possible, without any limitation. The office of Senator and Deputy are incompatible with any other position or employment at the Public Administration.
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