In this article, we will explore the topic of President of the Congress of Deputies in depth, analyzing its origins, its relevance today, and its impact in various areas. Since its appearance, President of the Congress of Deputies has aroused great interest and has been the subject of numerous debates and studies. Over the years, President of the Congress of Deputies has evolved and adapted to the changes of the modern world, acquiring new dimensions and meanings. Through this article, we will delve into the most relevant aspects of President of the Congress of Deputies, offering a complete and updated vision that allows the reader to thoroughly understand this phenomenon and its implications in today's society.
President of the Congress of Deputies | |
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Congress of Deputies | |
Style | The Most Excellent |
Seat | Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid |
Appointer | Congress of Deputies |
Term length | Four years, renewable |
Constituting instrument | Spanish Constitution |
Formation | 24 September 1810 |
First holder | Ramón Lázaro de Dou y de Bassols |
Deputy | Vice Presidents |
Salary | €230,926.48 annually |
Website | www.congreso.es |
The president of the Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Presidente del Congreso de los Diputados) is the speaker of the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament). The president is elected among the members of the Congress and is, after the king and the prime minister, the highest authority in the Kingdom of Spain.
Although the president shares the representation of the Cortes Generales with the president of the Senate, the constitutional functions that are granted to the office in terms of royal countersigning and the election process of the Prime Minister (head of government), makes the president of the Congress the de facto leader of the legislative branch. This position is also reinforced by the asymmetric bicameralism that gives greater prominence to the lower house.
The current office was established by the Spanish Constitution of 1978, however, the position has a tradition of more than 200 years, since its creation in 1810 as President of the Cortes of Cádiz.
The current president, of the 15th Cortes Generales (102nd since the Cortes of Cádiz), is Francina Armengol, a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party who represents the electoral district of the Balearic Islands.
The speaker or president of the Congress of Deputies is elected during the constitutive session which follows the General Elections of the Kingdom or during the next session following the resignation of the president.
The election of the president needs an absolute majority in the Chamber. If an absolute majority is not reached in the first vote, a second vote is held immediately after the announcement of the results by the temporal president of the Chamber (the elder deputy). The second vote needs only a simple majority (i.e., more «yes» than «no» votes). Each deputy is free to write the name he wants on his ballot, even if those deputies of the majority group vote for a candidate predefined by their party.
The president's term ends in case of death, resignation, loss of the status of deputy or after the dissolution of the Congress of Deputies, prior to the holding of general elections.
The Congress' Standing Rules establishes that there are four vice presidents of the Congress (Part III § 30). All the vice presidents are elected in a unique voting and the four most voted candidates are elected (Part III § 37).
The main task that the standing orders entrust to the vice presidents is that to replace the president in cases of vacancy, absence or impossibility to exercise. However, the standing orders also give the power to the president to delegated on them other responsibilities (Part III § 33).
When the Board of Spokespersons meet, it is needed that at least one of the four vice presidents are present (Part III § 39).
Order | Name | Term start | Party | ||
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1st | Alfonso Rodríguez | 3 December 2019 | PSOE | ||
2nd | José Antonio Bermúdez de Castro | 17 August 2023 | PP | ||
3rd | Esther Gil de Reboleno Lastortres | 17 August 2023 | Sumar | ||
4th | Marta González Vázquez | 17 August 2023 | PP |