Venice Commission - Report on Bicameralism

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Every effort was made to provide accurate and up-to-date information. For further details please visit our site : https://www.venice.coe.int/

4.How many members are in the lower house?

Algeria

407 deputies at the People's National Assembly.

Austria

The Austrian Parliament has two chambers: the National Council with 183 members and the Federal Council with 61 members.

Belgium

150 membres, élus au suffrage universel, à la Chambre des représentants

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH (lower house) consists of 42 members. Two-thirds are elected from the territory of the Federation, and one-third from the territory of Republika Srpska.

Brazil

513 in the Chamber of Deputies

Canada

There are currently 338 members in the House of Commons. Each member represents a single electoral district, or riding.

Chile

155 nowdays but 120 before 2017.

Czechia

The Chamber of Deputies is composed of 200 members.

France

The lower house has 577 members.

Germany

The Bundestag is supposed to have 598 seats (§ 1 subsection 1 BWahlG). However, the current 20th Bundestag consists of 736 members and the previous 19th Bundestag had 709 members. The continuously growing number of members is caused by Germany’s electoral system allowing to have “overhang mandates” (“Überhangmandate”). However, the current parliament has passed a law in March 2023 aiming at reforming Germany’s electoral system and reducing the number of members to 630.

Ireland

Dáil Éireann is made up of 160 members elected directly by the people of Ireland.

Italy

4. The lower house is at present composed of 400 members

Kazakhstan

The Majilis consists of ninety-eight deputies elected in the manner prescribed by the constitutional law according to a mixed electoral system: according to the system of proportional representation in the territory of a single national constituency, as well as in single-seat territorial constituencies (paragraph 3 of article 50 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan).

Mexico

The Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union has 500 members, according to article 52 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States.

Morocco

395

The Netherlands

150 Members (Article 51(2) of the Constitution

Poland

The Sejm is composed of 460 members.

Romania

The Chamber of Deputies has 330 members.

Slovenia

90 members.

Spain

350 members (Diputados). The Constitution establishes that the number of deputies can be between 300 and 400, but the Electoral Law (LOREG) has set the number at 350

Switzerland

There is no distinction made between upper and lower house. The National Council (House of Representatives) has a fixed number of 200 members.

Tunisia

The lower chamber has 161 members.

United Kingdom

650

United States of America

The House of Representatives (i.e., the lower house) has 435 voting members.