The Senate is one of the bodies of the Legislative Branch.
Senate is a notion that derives from the Latin senātus and that allows one of the bodies of the Legislative Branch to be named, made up of members ( senators ) who are elected by the population through elections or, in some cases, appointed by an authority.
Written with an initial capital letter, the concept allows us to name this political assembly and the venue where the senators' sessions are held. Countries that have a senate are usually those organized under a federal and bicameral regime.
The Senate, a chamber of the Legislative Branch
In this context, the Legislative Branch of a federal republic with bicameralism has a congress or parliament divided into two chambers : the Chamber of Deputies , also known as the Lower House , and the Senate or Upper House .
Although the characteristics vary depending on the country, the usual thing is that the Chamber of Deputies is made up of representatives elected by the entire population, while the Senate includes representatives voted for by territory ( states , provinces , etc.). The link between the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate depends on the nation's Constitution .
In Canada , for example, members of the Senate are chosen by the Governor General in agreement with the Prime Minister . There are 105 senators , whose seats are distributed according to the region .
Representatives voted in each territory of a nation usually come to the Senate.
The case of Spain
The Senate in Spain is known by the name of the Upper House of the Cortes Generales , it represents the Spanish people and is currently made up of a total of 266 members, although it is variable. Its members are fundamentally elected by universal, free, equal, direct and secret suffrage of citizens at a rate of 4 senators per province, although then the larger islands elect 3 and the smaller islands 1. Without forgetting that the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla They choose 2 each.
Other data of interest about the Senate in Spain are the following:
- Its senators serve a term that lasts 4 years.
- It has several important bodies and positions such as the President, the Board, the Board of Spokespersons, the commissions, the parliamentary groups, the Permanent Deputation and the territorial groups.
- It exercises three fundamental functions: political , territorial integration and legislative.
The Senate of Argentina
The Senate of Argentina is made up of members voted directly by the population.
In this Upper House there are, for each province, three representatives in addition to the three senators for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires , who are elected to serve periods of six years each.
The Roman institution
Without a doubt, the well-known Roman Senate has played a fundamental role in history, since it was one of the most important institutions of Ancient Rome . A total of 300 magistrates were those who shaped this body, which was not only in charge of directing foreign policy or religion and finance but also of ratifying the laws that had been voted by the elections.
At first, it was only made up of 30 patricians and its work was basically consultative. However, with the passage of time and, above all, with the establishment of the Republic , its role increased.