Greater Republic of Central America

From Roach Busters

República Mayor de Centroamérica Greater Republic of Central America
Flag	Coat of arms
Motto "Dios, Unión y Libertad" (Spanish) "God, Union and Liberty"
Anthem Himno de Centroamérica
Capital Largest city	Amapala 13°17′N 87°39′W Guatemala City
Official languages	Spanish
Demonym	Central American
Government  - President	Federal presidential republic to be added
Legislature  - Upper house  - Lower house	Federal Congress Chamber of Senators Chamber of Deputies
Establishment  - Pact of Amapala  - Constitution	June 20, 1895 August 27, 1898
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	423,016 km² 163,362 sq mi 2.52
Population  - 2009 estimate  - Density	38,399,665 90.8/km² 235/sq mi
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	2009 estimate $231.627 billion $6,032
GDP (nominal)  - Total  - Per capita	2009 estimate $123.993 billion $3,229
Gini (2003)	52.5 (high)
HDI (2007)	0.772 (medium)
Currency	Central American peso (CAP)
Time zone - Summer (DST)	CST (UTC -6) not observed (UTC -6)
Drives on the	right
Internet TLD	.ce
Calling code	+500

Contents 1 Politics 1.1 The Federal Congress 1.1.1 Chamber of Deputies 1.1.2 Chamber of Senators 1.1.3 Powers and Functions

Politics

The Federal Congress

The legislative branch of Central America is the bicameral Federal Congress (Congreso Federal), or Congress (Congreso), comprising the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) and the Chamber of Senators (Cámara de Senadores). Both houses convene in the National Palace (Palacio Nacional), located in the capital, Amapala.

Chamber of Deputies

The Chamber of Deputies, which has 120 members, is the lower house of the Federal Congress. Its members are elected by popular vote for legislative terms of four years; 90 members are elected from multi-member constituencies apportioned among the states, and 30 are elected by the nation at large. Central America uses a closed-list d'Hondt proportional representation system to elect deputies. Elections are staggered so that one-half of its members are up for election at one time and the remaining half two years later. To be eligible for membership in the Chamber of Deputies, a candidate must:

• Be a natural-born citizen of Central America.
• Be 25 years of age or older.
• Be in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights.
• Have been resident in the country for at least five years prior to the date of the election.
• Not be an official of any church or religious organization.
• Not be an officer of the armed forces or law enforcement, unless they relinquish their position at least twelve months prior to the election.
• Not be in active military service during the six months prior to the election.
• Not be a presidential appointee, Minister, Vice-Minister, or other member of the Cabinet, a magistrate or judge, or a mayor, unless they resign from their position at least six months prior to the election.

Chamber of Senators

The Chamber of Senators, the upper house, is comprised of the following members: Six members for every state (appointed by the legislatures of the states in question); three members for the Federal District (appointed by its legislature); former Presidents of the Republic; and the candidate that received the second largest number of votes in the most recent presidential election. At present, there are 36 senators (33 appointed, 2 ex-Presidents, and the runner-up in the previous presidential election). Senators serve for terms of six years; one-third of the members of the Chamber of Senators are renewed every two years. Exceptions to this rule are former Presidents, who serve for life (however, Presidents that were removed from office for malfeasance, malversion, or other crimes are ineligible for membership; in addition, life senators that become subject to any conditions that would disqualify them from membership forfeit their seats).

To be eligible for membership in the Chamber of Senators, a candidate must:

• Be a natural-born citizen of Central America.
• Be 40 years of age or older.
• Be in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights.
• Have been resident in the country for at least five years prior to the date of the election.
• Not be an official of any church or religious organization.
• Not be an officer of the armed forces or law enforcement, unless they relinquish their position at least twelve months prior to the election.
• Not be in active military service during the six months prior to the election.
• Not be a presidential appointee, Minister, Vice-Minister, or other member of the Cabinet, a magistrate or judge, or a mayor, unless they resign from their position at least six months prior to the election.

Powers and Functions

The Federal Congress has power:

• To legislate in matters of national competence.
• To propose amendments to and revisions of the Constitution, on the terms established in the Constitution.
• To declare war and to make peace.
• To lay and collect taxes.
• To discuss and approve the national budget and any bill relating to the taxation system and to public credit.
• To authorize appropriations in addition to the budget.
• To approve the general guidelines for the national economic and social development plan submtitted by the President.
• To authorize the President to enter into contracts in the national interest, in the cases established by law.
• To authorize the departure of the President from the national territory, when such absence is to last longer than five consecutive days.
• To approve by law any international treaties or agreements entered into by the President.
• To declare the coat of arms, the national flag, and the national anthem, by a vote of two-thirds of the total membership of the Federal Congress.
• To initiate impeachment proceedings against government officials.
• To fix the standard of weights and measures.
• To regulate the value of the currency.
• To grant general amnesties for political crimes.
• To enact its own internal regulations and apply such sanctions as may be provided for thereunder.
• To pass on the qualifications of its members and take notice of their resignation.
• To organize its own internal security service.
• To pass and implement its budget of expenditures, taking into account the country's financial limitations.
• To implement resolutions concerning its own administrative organization and functioning.
• To perform such other functions as authorized by the Constitution and by the laws.

be at least 25 years of age, a Central American citizen by birth (born of either a Central American father or mother, or both), in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights, and they must have been resident in the country for the previous five years.

has 120 members, directly elected by popular vote from

President's term of office is four years; consecutive re-election not allowed.

Voting is compulsory; those twenty-one years of age and older are allowed to vote.

Supreme Court of Federal Justice; Greater Courts of Appeals

Senators serve six year terms; one-third of the senators are renewed every two years. Deputies serve four year terms; one-half of them are renewed every two years.