Congreso de los Diputados
Lower house of Spain's Parliament; 350 MPs.
The Congreso de los Diputados dissolved on 6 October 2026 for the 29 November election. Its standing committee retains decree-law scrutiny after the chamber rejected the government's earlier housing package.
Last refreshed: 22 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Who scrutinises Spain's housing decrees after Congress has dissolved?
Timeline for Congreso de los Diputados
Mentioned in: Spain lets towns tax tourist-flat owners
Nomads & CommunitiesRefused to validate Decree-laws 26/2026 and 27/2026
Nomads & Communities: Congress sinks Spain's two rent decreesMentioned in: Navarra writes the rule Madrid could not
Nomads & CommunitiesBackground
The Congreso de los Diputados is the Lower Chamber of the Cortes Generales, Spain's bicameral Parliament. Congress and the Senate share legislative and budgetary functions and scrutinise the government. Congress has the specific role of granting confidence to a candidate for prime minister and holding the government politically accountable through confidence procedures. Congress's standing committee retains specified powers during dissolution, including scrutiny of government decree-laws.
The electoral law provides 350 seats. The provinces are constituencies with proportional seat allocation, while Ceuta and Melilla each elect one deputy. Congress's ordinary term lasts four years, subject to earlier dissolution. Government decree-laws must undergo an express validation or repeal decision within thirty days.
Its standing committee retains decree scrutiny
On 2 October 2026 Congress rejected validation of the government's two housing decree-laws. For the chamber, the vote exercised its constitutional power to decide whether emergency legislation survives parliamentary scrutiny. It was a decision of Congress, the lower house, rather than a joint vote of both chambers.
Congress dissolved on 6 October for the election scheduled for 29 November. Replacement housing decrees were published on 7 October. During dissolution, its Diputación Permanente exercises the decree-law powers assigned to Congress by the Constitution. This standing committee preserves specified functions between elected chambers; it is distinct from the Senate's own committee.
Its standing committee retains decree scrutiny
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Reference
Who reviews decree-laws when Spain's Congress is dissolved?
How is Spain's Congress elected?
What is the difference between Congress and the Cortes Generales?
How many MPs sit in Spain's Congreso de los Diputados?
Who is the current Speaker of Spain's Congreso de los Diputados?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 22 October 2026. Editorial standards.