Congress of the Republic of Guatemala


The Congress of the Republic is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Guatemala. The Guatemalan Congress is made up of 160 deputies 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 Guatemalas's 22 departments 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 . Departments are allocated seats based on their population size and they are shown in the table below.

History

Guatemala had a bicameral legislature in the 1845 constitution. It was replaced with unicameral Chamber of Representatives, which was reformulated as National Assembly in 1879, which was replaced by 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.

Latest election

In Congress, Baldizón's LIDER gained 30 seats on their previous election making them the largest party with 44 seats. Torres' UNE retained second position with 36 seats, despite losing 12. Competing in their first election, Todos captured 18 seats. PP suffered the greatest loss, losing 39 seats overall, down to 17. Morales' FCN gained 11 seats.