The organization was founded in 1824 as the Central American Congress (Spanish: Congreso Federal Centroamericano).[1]
Structure
The Salvadoran legislature is a unicameral body.
It is made up of 84 deputies, all of whom are elected by direct popular vote according to open-list proportional representation to serve three-year terms and are eligible for immediate re-election. Of these, 64 are elected in 14 multi-seat constituencies, corresponding to the country's 14 departments, which return between 3 and 16 deputies each. The remaining 20 deputies are selected on the basis of a single national constituency.
To be eligible for election to the Assembly, candidates must be (Art. 126, Constitution):
over 25;
Salvadoran citizens by birth, born of at least one parent to be a Salvadoran citizen;
of recognised honesty and education, and
have not had the privilege of one's rights as a citizen cancelled in the previous five years.
On 1 June 2023, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele issued a proposal to the Legislative Assembly to reduce the number of its seats from 84 to 60.[2] The proposal was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 7 June 2023 and it will go into effect on 1 May 2024.[3]
El Salvador also returns 20 deputies to the supranational Central American Parliament, also elected according to open-list proportional representation from a single national constituency.
^ a b"Breve historia de la Asamblea Legislativa de la República de El Salvador" (PDF). Retrieved 19 August 2023.
^Velásquez, Eugenia (1 June 2023). "En Vivo: En su Discurso del Cuarto Año de Gobierno Bukele Presenta Propuesta para Reducir de 262 a 44 Municipios y Diputados a 60" [Live: In His Speech of Four Years of Government Bukele Presents Proposal to Reduce from 262 to 44 Municipalities and Deputies to 60]. El Salvador.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 June 2023.
^Renteria, Nelson; Madry, Kylie (7 June 2023). Berkrot, Bill (ed.). "El Salvador Slashes Size of Congress Ahead of Elections". Reuters. San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 7 June 2023.