Congress of the Union facts for kids
Quick facts for kids General Congress of theUnited Mexican States Congreso General de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos |
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| LXVI Legislature | |
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate of the Republic Chamber of Deputies |
| History | |
| Founded | 28 September 1821 |
| Leadership | |
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Gerardo Fernández Noroña (Morena)
Since 1 September 2024 |
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Sergio Gutiérrez Luna (Morena)
Since 8 October 2024 |
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| Structure | |
| Seats | 628 (500 Deputies) (128 Senators) |
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Senate political groups
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Government (87)
Opposition (41) |
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Chamber of Deputies political groups
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Government (279)
Opposition (209) |
| Authority | Title III, Chapter II of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States |
| Salary | $131,874 pesos (Senator) $99,457 pesos (Deputy) |
| Elections | |
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Senate last election
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2 June 2024 |
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Chamber of Deputies last election
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2 June 2024 |
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Senate next election
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2 June 2030 |
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Chamber of Deputies next election
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6 June 2027 |
| Motto | |
| La Patria Es Primero (The Fatherland Is First) | |
| Meeting place | |
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| Senate Building Mexico City |
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| San Lázaro Building Mexico City |
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| Website | |
| Senate website Chamber of Deputies website |
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| Constitution | |
| Mexican Constitution of 1917 | |
The Congress of the Union is like the main law-making body for Mexico. Its full name is the General Congress of the United Mexican States. It helps run the federal government of Mexico. This important group has two main parts: the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Together, 628 people work here (128 senators and 500 deputies). They all meet in Mexico City to make decisions for the country.
Contents
How the Congress Works
The Mexican Congress has two main parts, like two teams working together. This is called a bicameral system. These two parts are the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The rules for how they work are written in the Mexican Constitution.
The Senate: The Upper House
The Senate is sometimes called the "upper house." It has 128 members, who are called senators.
- Most senators (96 of them) are chosen by a simple vote in each state. The party with the most votes gets two seats, and the party that comes in second gets one.
- The other 32 senators are chosen based on proportional representation. This means seats are given out based on the total percentage of votes a party gets across the whole country.
Senators serve for six years.
The Chamber of Deputies: The Lower House
The Chamber of Deputies is known as the "lower house." It has 500 members, called deputies.
- 300 deputies are chosen by a simple vote in different areas of the country.
- The other 200 deputies are chosen using proportional representation. These seats are given out based on how many votes parties get in different regions.
Deputies serve for three years.
What the Congress Does
The Congress has many important jobs, all listed in the Mexican Constitution.
- They can decide if new states can join Mexico.
- They help manage how the government works.
- They are in charge of collecting taxes.
- They can declare war if the government asks them to.
- They make sure Mexico has strong armed forces.
- They also help guide the country's economy.
Special Jobs for Each House
Even though both houses work together, they each have some special tasks:
- The Chamber of Deputies is responsible for approving the country's budget. This is like deciding how the government will spend money.
- The Senate looks at how Mexico deals with other countries (foreign policy). They also approve or reject important people chosen by the President, like judges for the Supreme Court or ambassadors to other nations.
The Permanent Committee
When the main Congress is not meeting (this is called being "in recess"), a smaller group takes over some of its duties. This group is called the Permanent Committee. It includes 19 deputies and 18 senators. They make sure important work continues even when the full Congress is on a break.
How Long Members Serve
Each group of people who serve in Congress for a specific time is called a Legislature. We often use Roman numerals to name them. For example, the Congress serving from 2024 to 2027 is called the "LXVI Legislature".
For a long time, the Mexican Constitution said that deputies and senators could not be reelected right away. This idea came from a famous leader named Francisco I. Madero who believed in "Effective suffrage, no reelection."
Reelection Rules
Things changed in 2014. The Mexican Constitution was updated to allow deputies and senators to be reelected.
- Since the 2018 elections, members of the Chamber of Deputies can serve up to four terms. Each term is three years long.
- Senators can serve up to two terms. Each term is six years long.
This means both deputies and senators can now stay in office for a total of 12 years if they are reelected.
Recent Elections
Mexico held general elections on June 2, 2024. During these elections, citizens voted for new members of both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
Senate Election Results
In the Senate elections, the "Sigamos Haciendo Historia" alliance, which includes the Morena, PVEM, and PT parties, won the most seats. The "Fuerza y Corazón por México" alliance and the Citizens' Movement party also won seats.
Chamber of Deputies Election Results
For the Chamber of Deputies, the "Sigamos Haciendo Historia" alliance also secured the majority of seats. The "Fuerza y Corazón por México" alliance and the Citizens' Movement party also gained representation. These elections determined the makeup of the current LXVI Legislature.
See also
In Spanish: Congreso de la Unión para niños
- Chamber of Deputies
- Senate of the Republic
- Politics of Mexico
- List of legislatures by country
- History of democracy in Mexico
