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500 Chamber of Deputies seats
All of the 500 seats in the lower legislative chamber are up for grabs. Lawmakers are elected to three-year terms, 300 directly and the rest allotted by proportional representation.
Opposition parties have won an increasing number of chamber seats but, conveniently for the president, the chamber so far has remained the PRI's domain. The PRI now holds 298 seats; the PAN, 119; and the PRD, 65. Independents have 11 seats, and the Workers Party has 7.
This time around, though, analysts are openly speculating about the potential ramifications of a possible opposition majority, with the combined forces of the PAN and the PRD. The bottom line: the PRI's power would be checked.
Even if it fails to gain a majority, the opposition will discover the strength of its national support, with the legislative ballot.
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