Congress of Nuevo León

The 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 LXXVI Legislature, started in 2021 and concludes in 2024 following the local elections.

History
On May 7, 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 July 9, 1824, 11 deputies were elected. The first legislative session started on August 1, 1824, with the goal of drafting the state's constitution, which was approved on March 5, 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 November 23, 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 January 3, 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.

Eligibility requirements
Article 71 of the Nuevo León Constitution establishes eligibility criteria for deputies. Each deputy must meet the following requirements: 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.
 * 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.

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.