ABSTRACT
The presidential systems of Latin America place certain expectations on congress. The legislature is associated with four distinct functions in a modern democracy: representation, lawmaking, oversight, and education. The representative function refers to how well congress corresponds with, speaks for, and answers to society. Legislatures have the creation of law as a central function. The signature feature of democracy, elections, ensures the vertical accountability of a government to its citizenry. Presidential governance places a priority on accountability by supplementing vertical accountability with an institutional design that obligates interaction among independent branches of government. This interaction provides a source of horizontal accountability. Latin American countries have made important strides in the effort to disseminate information about their legislative institutions with information technology. Legislative strength also supports democracy insofar as it helps to develop strong political parties. Legislatures also vary by the length of the terms served by their members.
