The president appoints a cabinet of ministers to head executive departments. The president enacts the laws and may participate in drawing up legislation. The president also serves as the commander in chief of the armed forces.

The National Congress consists of a lower chamber (the 257-member Chamber of Deputies) and an upper chamber (the 72-member Senate). Deputies are elected by the people to four-year terms through a system of proportional representation. Each province has three senators with one-third of the senators elected every two years to six-year terms. Two of these senators are directly elected and the third represents the province’s largest minority party. Three senators represent the city of Buenos Aires.

The judicial system in Argentina is headed by the Supreme Court, which has nine judges. Other federal courts in Argentina include the appellate courts, and district and territorial courts. Supreme Court judges and other federal judges hold lifetime appointments and cannot be removed except through impeachment by Congress. The federal courts have the power of judicial review over constitutional issues. The president appoints federal judges, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The provincial court systems are organized similarly to the federal system and consist of supreme, appellate, and lower courts. Encarta