Too Many Lawmakers: Mexico's Ruling Party Proposes Cutting Seats from Congress Jorge Lopez - Reuters
go to original August 21, 2014

Pena Nieto proposed reducing the number of lower house deputies to 400 from 500 during his 2012 election campaign. (Henry Romero/Reuters)

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's ruling party on Wednesday proposed holding a referendum next year to reduce the size of Congress, which could strengthen its own hand and streamline legislative decision-making.

Mexico's Congress is made up of the lower house with 500 members and a Senate with 128 members. Both houses have a minority of lawmakers elected through proportional representation and the rest by a relative majority, in which the candidate with the most votes wins.

The idea is to slash the number of lower house legislators elected by proportional representation to 100 from 200, said Cesar Camacho, the head of President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

"We think there are too many (lawmakers). This would reduce public spending, make agreements easier and make Congress more efficient," Camacho told a news conference.

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