Guatemala

Congress of the Republic

Law-making

Data on parliament’s law-making role and activities

Legislative activity

Number of laws adopted by parliament, per year
56 (2022)
See historical data for this field.
Notes For some parliaments, data can not be presented on an annual basis, for example because parliamentary sessions run from April to March of the following year. In such cases, the period to which the data corresponds is specified here.
Aside from parliament and the Executive, Article 174 of the Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala grants the right to initiate legislation to the Supreme Court of Justice, the University of San Carlos de Guatemala, and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

During the 2016-2020 legislature, five of the 115 laws adopted were initiated by the Supreme Court of Justice and the University of San Carlos de Guatemala.
Total number of laws adopted by Parliament in the previous legislature
115 (2020)
See historical data for this field.
Number of laws adopted in the previous legislature that were initiated by parliament
73 (2020)
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Number of laws adopted in the previous legislature that were initiated by the government
37 (2020)
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Dates of the previous legislature
14.01.2016 to 14.01.2020
See historical data for this field.

Executive-legislative relations

Legislation adopted by parliament requires the assent of the Head of State In some countries, the Constitution foresees that legislation adopted by parliament must be signed into law by the Head of State. If so, the Head of State may, for example, have the power to veto the legislation, return it to parliament, or submit it to another body such as a constitutional court.
Yes
Source Legal documents that stipulate parliament's role.
Constitution, art. 183, al. e
Number of times the Head of State declined to give assent to legislation, per year
(2021)
See historical data for this field.
Consequences when the Head of State declines to give assent to legislation Consequences when the Head of State declines to give assent to legislation: Not applicable; No further action is taken. The legislation is rejected; The legislation is returned to Parliament for re-examination; The legislation is referred to the Constitutional/Supreme Court;The legislation is put to a referendum; Other (please specify)
The legislation is returned to Parliament for re-examination
Not applicable. The Head of State cannot decline to give assent to legislation adopted by parliament
No
Final decision when parliament and the Head of State do not agree Final decision when parliament and the Head of State do not agree: Not applicable; Parliament; Head of State; Constitutional/Supreme Court; Other (please specify)
Existence of a procedure to introduce emergency legislation
Click for historical data
See historical data for this field.
Not applicable. There is no procedure to introduce emergency legislation.
Yes