Parliament of Catalonia

The Parliament of Catalonia is one of the institutions that form the Generalitat de Catalunya, together with the Presidency of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Executive Board or Government. It represents the people of Catalonia, and is at present formed by 135 deputies, who are elect by universal suffrage.

The first background of the Catalan parliamentary institution, goes back to the 11th century, with the assemblies of "Pau i Treva" and the Cort Comptal (and later the Consell de Cent). During the reign of Jaume I, the Cort Comptal transformed into the General Courts of Catalonia, institution that consolidated in subsequent reign. The General Courts had three branches: the military branch, which brought the representatives of the nobility together; the ecclesiastical branch, with the representatives of the religious hierarchy, and the royal branch, with the representatives of the municipalities. A lot wide sectors of the population were not represented, but is possibly the oldest sort of parliamentary institution in the modern negotiating way.

The first Catalan constitutions are of the Corts of Barcelona from 1283. The last ones were promulgated by the court of 1702.