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National Congress of Argentina Congreso de la Nación Argentina | |
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate Chamber of Deputies |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 329 members |
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Senate political groups | Government (6)
Allies (7)
Independents (25)
Opposition (34)
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Chamber of Deputies political groups | Government (40)
Allies (39) Independent (74) Opposition (104) |
| Elections | |
LastSenate election | 26 October 2025 |
LastChamber of Deputies election | 26 October 2025 |
NextSenate election | 2027 |
NextChamber of Deputies election | 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Argentine National Congress Palace Buenos Aires,Argentina | |
| Website | |
| congreso.gob.ar | |
TheNational Congress of Argentina (Spanish:Congreso de la Nación Argentina) is thelegislative branch of the government ofArgentina. Its composition isbicameral, constituted by a 72-seatSenate and a 257-seatChamber of Deputies. The Senate, a third of whose members are elected to six-year renewable terms every two years, consists of three representatives from each province and the federal capital. The Chamber of Deputies, whose members are elected to four-year terms, is apportioned according to population, and renews their members by a half each two years.
TheCongressional Palace is located inBuenos Aires, at the western end ofAvenida de Mayo (at the other end of which is located theCasa Rosada). TheKilometre Zero for allArgentine National Highways is marked on a milestone at theCongressional Plaza, next to the building.
The Argentine National Congress isbicameral, composed of theSenate and theChamber of Deputies. The ordinary sessions span is from March 1 to November 30; thePresident of Argentina is entitled to convene extraordinary sessions during the recess, if needed.[2] Senators and deputies enjoyparliamentary immunity during their mandates, which may be revoked by their peers if a senator or deputy is caughtin flagrante, in the midst of committing a crime.[3]
The Congress rules theCentral Bank of Argentina,[4] manages internal and external debt payment,[5] and the value of national currency[6] (currently theArgentine peso). It rules the legal codes on Civil, Commercial, Penal, Minery, Work and Social Welfare affairs, all of which cannot be in contradiction with the respective provincial codes.[7] Any changes on national orprovincial limits, or the creation of new provinces, ought to be allowed by the Congress.[8]
The Congress is entitled to approve or reject every international treaty that Argentina signs with other states or international organizations. When approved, the treaties acquire priority over ordinary legislation.[9] Declarations of war and the signing of peace,[10] as well as the mobilization of thenational troops, within or outside of the Argentine territory[11] must be allowed by the Congress.The Chamber of Deputies is the lower House of the National Congress. It holds exclusive rights to set taxes and customs; to draft troops; and to accuse the President, Ministers, and members of the Supreme Court before the Senate. Additionally, the Chamber of Deputies receives for consideration bills presented by popular initiative.
The Senate is the upper House of the National Congress. It must obtain quorum to deliberate, this being an absolute majority. It has the power to approve bills passed by the Chamber of Deputies, call for joint sessions with the Lower House or special sessions with experts and interested parties, and submit bills for the president's signature; bills introduced in the Senate must, in turn, be approved by the Lower House for their submittal to the president. The Senate must introduce any changes to federal revenue sharing policies, ratify international treaties, approve changes to constitutional or federal criminal laws, as well as confirm or impeach presidential nominees to the cabinet, the judiciary, the armed forces, and the diplomatic corps, among other federal posts.
From 1976 to 1983, the Congressional Palace of Argentina housed the CAL (Legislative Advisory Commission), a group of officers from the three Armed Forces. Commissioned to review and discuss laws before they were issued by the Executive Branch, they served a succession ofde facto military presidents during theNational Reorganization Process. In practice, this became a mechanism to detect and discuss the differences between the three commanders-in-chief of the Army, Navy, and Air Force regarding a specific project. The CAL was established by theActa del Proceso de Reorganización Nacional (National Reorganization Process Act), the guiding document for the military government established after the coup d'état of March 24, 1976.
Following a1994 reform of the Constitution, theSenate was expanded from 48 members (two per province or district) to 72 members, whereby the party garnering second place in elections for Senator would be assured the third seat for the corresponding province.
Each province elects 3 Senators to the Senate, whereas every 161,000 Argentine citizens elect a Deputy. Currently, there are 72 Senators and 257 National Deputies in the Congress.
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