Introduction

It is common to hear the terms Congress and Parliament as synonyms, but in reality, they are two terms that are used to refer to two types of legislative bodies that exist in different countries around the world.

What is a Congress?

A Congress is a legislative assembly that is responsible for creating laws and approving the state budget. Normally, it is made up of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is the lower house of Congress and is elected by the citizens of each district in elections. The number of Representatives per state depends on the number of inhabitants of each state.

Senate

The Senate is the upper house of Congress and is made up of two senators from each state, regardless of the population of each state. Senators are elected for six-year terms.

What is a Parliament?

Parliament is the legislative body of countries whose system of government is a parliamentary monarchy, such as the United Kingdom. It is made up of two chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of Parliament and its main role is to create and pass laws. Members of the House of Commons are elected by citizens in elections.

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of Parliament and its main role is to review and make suggestions to the laws created by the House of Commons. The Lords are not elected by the citizens, but are appointed by the queen at the suggestion of the prime minister.

Conclusions

Although Congress and Parliament have similar functions, they differ in the way they are structured and the role played by the different chambers. It is important to know these differences to understand the political system of each country.

List of differences between Congress and Parliament

• Congress is the legislative body of countries that do not have a parliamentary monarchy, while Parliament is the legislative body of countries that do have a parliamentary monarchy.
• Congress is normally made up of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate, while Parliament is made up of two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
• The House of Representatives is elected directly by the citizens, while members of the House of Commons are also elected by the citizens, but the Lords are appointed by the queen at the suggestion of the prime minister.
• The Senate is made up of two senators from each state, while the House of Lords does not have a fixed number of members.

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