_High Powers._--The three high powers of the state are the legislative power, the executive power and the judicial power.
_Legislative Powers._--This power is formed by two chambers, the Senate and Deputies' Chamber. The Senate is compounded with as many members as departments, these forming the political and administrative division of the Republic. The election is indirect.
The President of the Senate is the Vice-President of the Republic, and performs the functions of the first magistrate in case of absence, illness, resignation or death.
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.