The Honorable Congress of the State of Nuevo León () is the unicameral legislature of the government of the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Each three-year legislative term consists of 42 deputies, with 26 elected through relative majority and 16 through proportional representation.
The current legislative term, known as the LXXVII Legislature, started in 2024 and concludes in 2027 following the local elections.
History On 7 May 1824, the Constituent Congress of Mexico officially recognized Nuevo León as a state, ordering the state to hold elections to select deputies that would serve both the Congress and Constituent Congress of Nuevo León. On 9 July 1824, 11 deputies were elected. The first legislative session started on 1 August 1824, with the goal of drafting the state's constitution, which was approved on 5 March 1825.
In March 1835, amid escalating tensions between centralists and federalists, the Federal Congress adopted a centralist constitution, which dissolved the state congresses, including the Congress of Nuevo León, replacing them with departmental boards. On 23 November 1846, a decree reinstated sovereignty to Nuevo León in accordance with the provisions outlined in the 1824 Mexican Constitution and the 1825 Nuevo León State Constitution, which led to the formal reestablishment of the Congress of Nuevo León on 3 January 1848.
In 1917, Nuevo León adopted a new state constitution establishing a two-year term for deputies, prohibiting re-election, and requiring the election of 15 deputies through first-past-the-post voting. In 1942, an amendment extended the term to three years. In 1977, reforms introduced proportional representation, facilitating the inclusion of smaller parties. The first opposition party deputy, from the National Action Party, was elected in 1979 under this new system. Prior to this, the Institutional Revolutionary Party was the only party in the legislature. In 2014, an amendment permitted the re-election of deputies for a maximum of four consecutive terms.
From 1901 until 1985, the congress convened in a designated room within the Government Palace. In May 1985, the legislative body relocated to the Legislative Palace, which presently serves as its official meeting venue.
Membership
Eligibility requirements Article 71 of the Nuevo León Constitution establishes eligibility criteria for deputies. Each deputy must meet the following requirements: Be a Mexican citizen by birth, exercising civil and political rights. Have reached the age of twenty-one on election day. Be a resident of the state for at least five consecutive years immediately preceding the election, or six months for those born in the state. Not be a religious minister. Not be the head of any department or head of any decentralized entity in the state. Not be a sitting governor. Not be a sitting judge. Not be working in any election commission. Not be a federal legislator. Not be a municipal president. Not be in the military or a head of public security forces for six months prior to the election. Article 71 also notes that public servants mentioned in the eligibility criteria, with the exception of the state governor and members of any election commission, may be elected as deputies if they take a leave from the office they represent at least one day before their campaign starts.
Terms Article 68 states that a deputy serves for three-year terms, which corresponds with one legislative term, known as a Legislature. A term starts on September 1 of the election year.
Elections Article 69 outlines that the congress must consist of 26 deputies elected through first-past-the-post voting, with each deputy representing one single-member district, and an additional 16 deputies through proportional representation. For this process, political parties present lists of candidates at the state level, and the number of seats a party receives is proportional to the overall votes it receives statewide.
Article 72 allows deputies to be re-elected for up to four consecutive terms.
Makeup
Party summary PartyStart oflegislatureCurrentseats±National Action Party1010Institutional Revolutionary Party1010Citizens' Movement109 1National Regeneration Movement99Party of the Democratic Revolution11Ecologist Green Party of Mexico11Labor Party11Independents / No party01 1Total4242
Members Elected by district
01 Ivonne Liliana Álvarez García (PRI) 02 Rafael Eduardo Ramos de la Garza (PRI) 03 Myrna Isela Grimaldo Iracheta (PAN) 04 Ana Melisa Peña Villagómez (MC) 05 Gabriela Govea López (PRI) 06 Perla de los Ángeles Villarreal Valdez (PRD) 07 José Filiberto Flores Elizondo (PRI) 08 Lorena de la Garza Venecia (PRI) 09 Mauro Guerra Villarreal (PAN) 10 Carlos Alberto de la Fuente Flores (PAN) 11 Baltazar Gilberto Martínez Ríos (MC) 12 Mario Alejandro Soto Esquer (MORENA) 13 Jesús Alberto Elizondo Salazar (MORENA) 14 José Luis Garza Garza (MC) 15 Itzel Soledad Castillo Almanza (PAN) 16 Elsa Escobedo Vázquez (PRI) 17 Anylú Bendición Hernández Sepúlveda (MORENA) 18 Claudia Gabriela Caballero Chávez (PAN) 19 Miguel Ángel García Lechuga (PAN) 20 Greta Pamela Barra Hernández (MORENA) 21 Armando Víctor Gutiérrez Canales (MC) 22 Mario Alberto Salinas Treviño (MC) 23 Rocío Maybe Montalvo Adame (No party) 24 Javier Caballero Gaona (PRI) 25 Brenda Velázquez Valdez (MORENA) 26 Aile Tamez de la Paz (PAN)
Elected by proportional representation
Ignacio Castellanos Amaya (PAN) Cecilia Sofía Robledo Suárez (PAN) José Luis Santos Martínez (PAN) Heriberto Treviño Cantú (PRI) José Manuel Valdez Salazar (PRI) Armida Serrato Flores (PRI) María Guadalupe Rodríguez Martínez (PT) Claudia Mayela Chapa Marmolejo (PVEM) Miguel Ángel Flores Serna (MC) Paola Cristina Linares López (MC) Marisol González Elías (MC) Sandra Elizabeth Pámanes Ortiz (MC) Esther Berenice Martínez Díaz (MORENA) Reyna Reyes Molina (MORENA) Grecia Benavides Flores (MORENA) Tomás Roberto Montoya Díaz (MORENA)
Historical composition This chart shows the historical composition of the Congress of Nuevo León from the 62nd Legislature to the present. It reflects the party affiliations of deputies at the time of their election and does not account for subsequent party switching. Total 62nd 197912143 20 63rd 19821112131 28 64th 19851222441 34 65th 19882614 40 66th 199112613 40 67th 1994212217 42 68th 1997221424 42 69th 2000211623 42 70th 200331123311 42 71st 20061121622 42 72nd 200911220117 42 73rd 20122231421 42 74th 201513116219 42 75th 2018484161153 42 76th 202136214215 42 77th 2024193108110 42
See also List of Mexican state congresses
References