The Deputies' Chamber is composed of 69 members, directly elected by the people in the way determined by the law on elections.
Executive Power.—The executive power is represented by the President of the Republic, who is elected in a general assembly of the two chambers by nominal voting, being required the absolute majority of suffrages expressed on ballots which are publicly read out by the secretary. His functions last four years, and he cannot be re-elected unless four other years have passed.
The President appoints the Secretaries of State, or Ministers, who are five—one of Government, one of Fomento (Public Education, Commerce, Industry and Railways), one of Finance, one of War and Navy, and one of Foreign Affairs.
Delegates of the Executive Power.—In every town, the capital of a department, there is a delegate of the Executive Power called Political and Police Chief (Jefe politico y de policia), and entrusted to make his dispositions obeyed.
Judicial Power.—This power is composed of the High Court of Justice. But as this court has not yet been regularly established, the United Tribunals of Appeal, composed each of them of three members, perform the functions of the High Court. It is entrusted with the superintendence of all the other judges.
There exist in the Republic three Superior Judges (Jueces Letrados), for the civil, two for the commerce, one for the treasure, one for the criminal, and one for the correctional, and also nineteen ordinary judges for the departments.
Justice of the Peace.—There exist a justice of the peace and an attorney in every one of the sections into which are divided the departments. The members of the Justice of the Peace are elected by the people. They give sentence in all the affairs of small importance.
The law of the 11th of February, 1879, has created the Civil State Register in all the Republic, and the inscription in this Register has been made obligatory the 1st of July of the same year.
This Register is entrusted to the care of the Justice of the Peace, who performs the functions of Civil State Register Officer, and in it are inscribed all the births, marriages, deaths, recognizance and legitimation of the sons.
The law of the 22d of May, 1885, declared Civil Matrimony obligatory throughout all the Republic, no other one being acknowledged as legitimate besides the one celebrated according to the law and according to the dispositions established in the Civil State Registers of the 11th of February, 1879, and their regulation and laws of the 1st of June, 1880, and 1st of July, 1884.