section_path: Politics/Governance/Cortes Generales
section_name: Cortes Generales
paragraph_text: Cortes Generales
  
  Legislative authority vests in the Cortes Generales (English: Spanish Parliament, lit. ' General Courts '), a democratically elected bicameral parliament that serves as the supreme representative body of the Spanish people. Aside from the Crown, it is the only basic State institution that enjoys inviolability. It comprises the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados), a lower house with 350 deputies, and the Senate (Senado), an upper house with 266 senators. Deputies are elected by popular vote on closed lists via proportional representation to serve four-year terms. On the other hand, 208 senators are directly elected by popular vote using a limited voting method, with the remaining 58 senators appointed by the regional legislatures to also serve four-year terms.