National Congress of Chile

National legislature of Chile

National Congress of Chile

Congreso Nacional de Chile

LVI legislative period

Coat of arms of Chile

Type
Type|

Bicameral

Houses| Senate
Chamber of Deputies
History
Founded| July 4, 1811
(First National Congress)
Leadership

President of the Senate

Manuel José Ossandón

President of the Chamber of Deputies

José Miguel Castro

Structure
Seats| Total: 205
50 senators
155 deputies

Senate political groups

| Government (18)

* Government Alliance (18)
*   PS (7)
*   PPD (6)
*   PCCh (2)
*   FREVS (2)
*   FA (1)

External support (5)

*   DC (3)
*   Independents (2)

Opposition (27)

* Chile Vamos (22)
*   RN (10)
*   UDI (9)
*   Evópoli (3)

* Others (5)
*   PSC (2)
*   Democrats (2)
*   PLR (1)

* * *

Chamber of Deputies political groups

| Government (67)

* Government Alliance (67)
*   FA (23)
*   PS (13)
*   PCCh (10)
*   PPD (9)
*   PL (5)
*   PR (3)
*   AH (2)
*   FREVS (1)
*   Independents (1)

External support (7)

*   DC (7)

Opposition (81)

* Chile Vamos (48)
*   UDI (22)
*   RN (22)
*   Evópoli (4)

* Others (33)
*   PLR (12)
*   PSC (7)
*   Democrats (6)
*   PDG (1)
*   AxCh (1)
*   Independents (6)

Length of term

* Senators: eight-year term with the option to go for re-election one time

* Deputies: four-year term, may go for re-election two times

Meeting place
Edificio del Congreso Nacional
Valparaíso
Chile
Website
Cámara de Diputados (in Spanish)
Senado (in Spanish)

The National Congress of Chile[1] (Spanish: Congreso Nacional de Chile) is the legislative branch of the Republic of Chile. According to the current Constitution (Chilean Constitution of 1980), it is a bicameral organ made up of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. Established by law No. 18678,[2] the city of Valparaíso is its official headquarters.

Chile's congress is the oldest operational in Latin America and one of the oldest in Ibero-America. The First Chilean National Congress was founded on July 4, 1811, to decide the best kind of government for the Kingdom of Chile during the captivity of King Ferdinand VII in the hands of Napoleon.

The Chamber of Deputies is composed of 155 deputies (Spanish: diputados) elected to four-year terms. Re-election is possible for a maximum of two times, which means that the deputy may remain in the post for up to 12 years.[3] The country has 28 electoral districts (Spanish: distritos electoral) which each elect between 3 and 8 deputies.[4]

The Senate is composed of 50 senators (Spanish: senadores) elected to eight-year terms. Re-election is possible at most one time, which means a senator can remain in the post for up to 16 years.[3] The electoral divisions of the Senate are different from those of the Chamber of Deputies. Each of the 16 regions of Chile forms a senatorial constituency (Spanish: circunscripción senatorial) that elects between 2 and 5 senators.[4]

The Congress's powers, duties and processes are defined in articles 42 to 59 of the current constitution of 1980 and through the Constitutional Organic Law No. 18918[5] published in 1990.

The current electoral system (or voting system) in Chile is proportional and inclusive according to the 2015 update of the organic law No. 18700, article 179 bis.[6]

The National Congress was closed without an immediate renewal of the members of its two chambers during three periods: 1924-1925, June-October 1932 and 1973-1989.

A new four-years legislative period begins with the installation of the National Congress. The LVI legislative period of the Chilean Congress began on March 11, 2022 and will end in 2026.

## History

[edit]

### Patria Vieja

[edit]

Main article: First Chilean National Congress

### Patria Nueva

[edit]

Main article: Chilean Declaration of Independence

### Dictatorship 1973-1990

[edit]

On 13 September 1973, the Government Junta of Chile dissolved Congress.[7]

During the last years of the Pinochet regime, the current building of Congress was built in the port city of Valparaíso, some 140 km west of the country's capital, Santiago. This new building replaced the Former National Congress Building, located in downtown Santiago.

### Transition to Democracy

[edit]

Between 1989 and 2013, elections in Chile were carried out following a binomial voting system, which was prescribed in 1980 during the Military dictatorship of Chile.

The binomial system was considered by most analysts as the main constitutional lock that prevented completion of the Chilean transition to democracy.

## See also

[edit]

Politics of Chile

Executive

* President (list)

Gabriel Boric
* Ministries

National Congress

* Senate
* Chamber of Deputies

Judiciary

* Supreme Court
* Election Certification Tribunal

Law

* Constitution

Administrative divisions

* Regions
* Provinces
* Communes

Recent elections

* Political parties
* Recent elections and referendums

* General: 2013
* 2017
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* Presidential: 2005–06
* 2009–10

* Legislative: 2005
* 2009

* Local: 2008
* 2012

* Referendums: 1989
* 2020
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* Constitutional convention: 2021
* 2023

Independent institutions

* Electoral Service
* Comptroller General
* Constitutional Court

Foreign relations

* Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister: Alberto van Klaveren

* * *

* Diplomatic missions of / in Chile

* * *

* Nationality law
* Passport
* Visa requirements
* Visa policy

Chile portal

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

* Republic of Chile
* Chamber of Deputies of Chile
* Senate of Chile
* Politics of Chile

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Cabrera-Tapia, Roberto (2021). "The Chilean Congress: Bicameralism in a Presidential System" (PDF). PSA Parliaments specialist group.
2. ^ Nacional, Biblioteca del Congreso. "Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional | Ley Chile". www.bcn.cl/leychile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
3. ^ a b Congreso Nacional de Chile, Biblioteca (2014-11-27). "Limits to the re-election of deputies and senators". Portal de la Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
4. ^ a b Congreso Nacional de Chile, Biblioteca (2024-08-26). "DFL 2 FIJA EL TEXTO REFUNDIDO, COORDINADO Y SISTEMATIZADO DE LA LEY Nº18.700, ORGÁNICA CONSTITUCIONAL SOBRE VOTACIONES POPULARES Y ESCRUTINIOS". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-07-21.
5. ^ Nacional, Biblioteca del Congreso. "Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional | Ley Chile". www.bcn.cl/leychile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
6. ^ Biblioteca, Congreso Nacional de Chile. "Organic law about popular vote". www.bcn.cl/leychile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-02.
7. ^ "Junta general names himself as new President of Chile". The Guardian. 14 September 1973. Retrieved 31 October 2018.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Congress of Chile.

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33°02′52″S 71°36′21″W﻿ / ﻿33.04778°S 71.60583°W﻿ / -33.04778; -71.60583
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