Congress of Deputies (Spain)

Congress of Deputies
Congreso de los Diputados
12th Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Ana Pastor, PP
Since 19 July 2016
Vice president
Ignacio Prendes, C's
Since 19 July 2016
Mariano Rajoy, PP
Since 21 December 2011
Disputed, PSOE/Unidos Podemos
Since 31 October 2016
Structure
Seats 350
Political groups
Government (134)
     PP (134)
Confidence and supply (36)
  •      C's (32)
  •      UPN (2)
  •      CC (1)
  •      FAC (1)
Opposition (180)

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 constituencies (matching Spanish provinces) by proportional representation 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 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 in which they ran. The MPs belonging to parties who cannot create their own parliamentary group form the Mixed Group.[1]

Congress of Deputies building

The allegorical front of the building
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The building, Congreso de los Diputados, has a neoclassical style. It was designed by Narciso Pascual 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.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Information about Parliamentary Groups - Congress of Deputies of Spain
  2. ↑ "Ponzano y Gascón, Ponciano". Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2012-05-28.

Coordinates: 40°24′57″N 3°41′48″W / 40.41583°N 3.69667°W / 40.41583; -3.69667

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