Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)

Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)
Chamber of Deputies of the United Mexican States · Public domain · source
Name	Chamber of Deputies
Native name	Cámara de Diputados
Legislature	LXV Legislature of the Mexican Congress
House type	Lower house
Body	Congress of the Union
Leader1 type	President of the Chamber
Leader1	Marcela Guerra Castillo
Party1	Institutional Revolutionary Party
Election1	September 1, 2023
Members	500
Political groups1	Government (277) * (201) MORENA * (39) PT * (37) PVEM Opposition (223) * (79) PRI * (66) PAN * (39) MC * (28) PRD * (11) Ind.
Meeting place	San Lázaro Legislative Palace, Mexico City
Website	diputados.gob.mx

Chamber of Deputies (Mexico). The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the bicameral Congress of the Union, the federal legislative branch of Mexico. It is composed of 500 representatives who are elected every three years and is charged with the critical tasks of drafting, debating, and approving federal legislation and the annual Federal Budget of Mexico. The chamber convenes at the San Lázaro Legislative Palace in Mexico City and operates alongside the upper house, the Senate of the Republic.

History

The chamber's origins trace back to the Constituent Congress of 1822 following the Mexican War of Independence, with its structure evolving through various constitutions including the Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1857. The modern framework was established by the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States drafted during the Mexican Revolution and ratified in 1917. Throughout the 20th century, the chamber was dominated by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) during the period known as the Perfect Dictatorship. Significant political reforms, such as those enacted under President Ernesto Zedillo and later under Felipe Calderón, introduced full proportional representation and ensured no single party could hold more than 300 seats, fundamentally altering the political landscape.

Composition and election

The Chamber of Deputies is composed of 500 *diputados* (deputies) serving three-year terms with no immediate re-election. Members are elected through a mixed-member proportional representation system. Three hundred deputies are elected in single-seat Federal electoral districts of Mexico by first-past-the-post plurality. The remaining 200 deputies are allocated through proportional representation from five large Electoral regions of Mexico, based on the national vote share, with a threshold to qualify for seats. This system is designed to ensure a more accurate reflection of the national vote and is administered by the National Electoral Institute.

Powers and functions

The chamber holds exclusive power to approve the annual Federal Budget of Mexico and to review the Public Account of the previous year. It shares legislative powers with the Senate, including the creation of federal laws on matters like taxation, commerce, and healthcare in Mexico. The Chamber of Deputies has the sole power to formally approve the federal budget proposed by the Secretariat of Finance and to declare whether there are grounds for impeaching senior officials, including the President of Mexico, before the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation.

Leadership and organization

The internal governance is led by the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Deputies, elected from among the deputies and headed by the President of the Chamber, a position currently held by Marcela Guerra Castillo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Legislative work is conducted through numerous permanent committees, such as the Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Justice Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. The political groups, representing parties like MORENA, PAN, and the PRI, organize their activities within the chamber, and the Political Coordination Board of the Chamber of Deputies facilitates dialogue between these groups.

Current composition and recent elections

The current **LXV Legislature** runs from 2021 to 2024. The coalition led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, comprising MORENA, the PT, and the PVEM, holds a majority. The main opposition bloc consists of the PRI, the PAN, and the MC. This composition resulted from the 2021 Mexican legislative election, which saw high voter turnout and solidified MORENA's dominance. The next election is scheduled for 2024, coinciding with the 2024 Mexican general election for the presidency.