Cortes Generales

The Cortes Generales (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkoɾtes xeneˈɾales], lit. 'General Courts'), or the Spanish Parliament, is the bicameral legislature of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meets in the Palacio de las Cortes. The Senate meets in the Palacio del Senado. Both are in Madrid. The Cortes are elected through universal, free, equal, direct and secret suffrage, with the exception of some senatorial seats, which are elected indirectly by the legislatures of the autonomous communities. The Cortes Generales are composed of 616 members: 350 deputies and 266 senators. The members of the Cortes Generales serve four-year terms, and they are representatives of the Spanish people. In both chambers, the seats are divided by constituencies that correspond with the fifty Spanish provinces, plus Ceuta and Melilla. However, each island or group of islands within the Canary and Balearic archipelagos forms a different constituency in the Senate. As a parliamentary system, the Cortes confirm and dismiss the prime minister and their government; specifically, the candidate for Prime Minister has to be invested by the Congress with a majority of affirmative votes. The Congress can also dismiss the prime minister through a vote of no confidence. The Cortes also hold the power to enact a constitutional reform. The modern Cortes Generales were created by the 1978 Constitution of Spain, but the institution has a long history.