Congress of Deputies (Spain)
| Congress of Deputies Congreso de los Diputados |
|
|---|---|
| 10th Legislature | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
|
Majority Leader and Prime Minister
|
|
| Structure | |
| Seats | 350 |
 |
|
|
Political groups
|
Government (185)
Opposition (165) |
| Elections | |
| Party-list proportional representation, D'Hondt method |
|
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Last election
|
20 November 2011 |
|
Next election
|
2015 |
| Meeting place | |
 |
|
| Palacio de las Cortes Madrid, Community of Madrid Kingdom of Spain |
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| Website | |
| www.congreso.es | |
The Congress of Deputies of Spain, commonly referred to as simply the Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados; Basque: Diputatuen Kongresua; Catalan: Congrés dels Diputats; Galician: Congreso dos Deputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch.
It has 350 members, elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation in constituencies matching the Spanish provinces using the D'Hondt method. Congressmen serve four-year terms. The President of the Congress of Deputies is the analogue to a Speaker and presides over debates in Spain's lower chamber of parliament.
In the Congress, members of the Parliament from the political parties, or groups of parties, form parliamentary groups. Groups must be formed by, at least, 15 MPs, but a group can also be formed with only five MPs if the parties got, at least, 5% of the nationwide vote, or 15% of the votes in the constituencies they run for seats.
The MPs belonging to parties who cannot create their own parliamentary group shall form the Mixed Group.[1] The composition of the 10th term Congress is:[2]
| Political party/group | Leader | Spokesperson | Dep. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popular Group (People's Party)[3] | Mariano Rajoy (PM) | Rafael Hernando | 185 | |
| Socialist Group (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party)[4] | Pedro Sánchez (LO) | Antonio Hernando | 110 | |
| Catalan Group (Convergence and Union) | Josep A. Duran i Lleida | 16 | ||
| Plural Left Group: United Left (8), ICV (2), CHA (1) | Alberto Garzón | Cayo Lara | 11 | |
| Union, Progress and Democracy Group: Union, Progress and Democracy (5) | Andrés Herzog | Rosa Díez | 5 | |
| Basque Group (Basque Nationalist Party) | Aitor Esteban | 5 | ||
| Mixed Group, composed of Amaiur (7), ERC (3), BNG (2), CC (2), Compromís (1), Foro Asturias (1), GBai (1), UPN (1)[5] | none | Mikel Errekondo (Amaiur)[6] | 18 | |
| Total | 350 | |||
Latest elections[edit]
Elections to the Congress were held on 20 November 2011.
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Spain |
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Related topics
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History[edit]
The building, Congreso de los Diputados, has a neoclassical style. It was designed by Narcisco Pascual y Colomer, and built between 1843 and 1850. It sits by the Carrera de San Jerónimo, in Madrid. The relief on the facade by sculptor Ponciano Ponzano centers on a sculpture of Spain embracing the constitutional state, represented by a woman with her arm around a young girl. Surrounding the pair are figures that represent in allegorical form Justice and Peace, Science, Agriculture, Fine Arts, Navigation, Industry, Commerce and so on. Ponzano also executed two bronze lions for the building's access stairway in a more realistic manner.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Information about Parliamentary Groups - Congress of Deputies of Spain
- ^ Parliamentary Groups - Congress of Deputies of Spain
- ^ Alfonso Alonso, spokesperson of PP group - Cope
- ^ Soraya Rodrigez, new spokesperson - Público
- ^ Rajoy 'loses' one MP: Carlos Salvador (UPN) will go to the Mixed Group - Diario Crítico
- ^ Council of spokespeople - Congress website
- ^ "Ponzano y Gascón, Ponciano". Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2012-05-28.
External links[edit]
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Media related to Congress of Deputies of Spain at Wikimedia Commons- Congreso de los Diputados - official website (Spanish)
Media related to
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Coordinates: 40°24′57″N 3°41′48″W / 40.41583°N 3.69667°W
