Chamber of Deputies of Mejico
The Chamber of Deputies of the General Congress (Spanish: Cámara de Diputados del Congreso General), commonly called the Chamber of Deputies (Spanish: Cámara de Diputados), is the lower house of Mejico's federal legislative power, integrating together with the Senate a bicameral assembly in which this power is deposited. It is composed of representatives of the Nation, which are 700 deputies elected in their totality for a period of two and a half years. The Chamber of Deputies convenes in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro in Mejico City, and its current president is Gerardo Lehmann Guzmán of the National Action Party.
It is formed by 700 representatives of the nation. All deputies are elected in free universal elections every two and a half years, in parallel voting: 500 deputies are elected in single-seat constituencies by first-past-the-post plurality (called uninominal deputies), and the remaining 200 are elected by the principle of proportional representation (called plurinominal deputies), with closed-party lists for which the country is divided into five constituencies or plurinominal circumscriptions. Deputies cannot be reelected for the next immediate term.
The current Constitution of 1966 provides for this body in its third title, chapter II, sections I, II and III, and specifically addresses it in ten articles. They specify the duties, powers, requirements and restrictions of the chamber. The exclusive powers of the Chamber of Deputies include publishing the official declaration of the President-elect issued by the Electoral Tribunal; coordinating and evaluating the Superior Audit Office of the Empire; ratifying the appointment of the Secretary of the Treasury; approving the National Development Plan; legislative authority with respect to the budget and revenues proposed by the executive branch; the power to decide whether or not to proceed against any member of the powers of the Union (except the President, which is a matter for the Senate) in case of committing a crime, in the terms of Article 111 of the Mejican Constitution; to appoint the heads of the autonomous bodies; to determine the allocation of federal expenditures in the national budget; to participate in the creation of legislation that pertains to the functioning of governmental and administrative entities; and all those responsibilities granted by other articles of the same Constitution and federal laws.
The ordinary periods of the Chamber of Deputies' sessions vary depending on the electoral year. When coinciding with the general elections, the first ordinary session is held from August 1 until December 31, allowing for an extended legislative period to address the transition of power and new government appointments. This aligns with the inauguration of the President of the Government, which occurs every five years. During non-election years, the ordinary sessions follow the standard schedule, convening from September 1 to December 15 for the first period and from February 1 to April 30 for the second period. During recess periods, the Permanent Commission gathers a number of deputies and senators to attend to pending matters of the Congress until the new period of sessions.