The Congress of the Republic () is the

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

of the

Republic of Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. The Guatemalan Congress is made up of 160

deputies A legislator, or lawmaker, is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-nati ...

who are elected by direct universal suffrage to serve four-year terms. The electoral system is closed party list proportional representation. 31 of the deputies are elected on a nationwide list, whilst the remaining 127 deputies are elected in 22 multi-member constituencies. Each of Guatemala's 22

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

serves as a district, with the exception of the department of Guatemala containing the capital, which on account of its size is divided into two ''(distrito central'' and ''distrito Guatemala)''. Departments are allocated seats based on their population size and they are shown in the table below.

Deputies by Department

History

Guatemala had a bicameral legislature in the 1845 constitution. It was replaced with the unicameral Chamber of Representatives (), which was in turn reformulated as the National Assembly () in 1879, then the Congress of the Republic in 1945.

Political culture

It is not uncommon for deputies to change parties during the legislature's term or to secede from a party and create a new party or congressional block.

Building

The Congress of the Republic Guatemala is located in the Legislative Palace in Guatemala city. During the

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

against the budget for 2021 on 21 November 2020, protestors entered the building and set parts of it on fire.

Latest election

2023 Guatemalan legislative election - Results

Central American Parliament

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Congress Of Guatemala

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

Government of Guatemala

1945 establishments in Guatemala