Scotatrovian Senate

The Senate (Scotatrovian: Senade) is the upper house of the Scotatrovian Parliament, which along with the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, comrpises the legislature of the Scotatrovian People's Republic. The Senate meets in the Palace of Teraça Cadith in Muse.

The composition and powers of the Senate are established by Article Four of the Scotatrovian Constitution. The Senate is composed of senators, each of whom represent a state in its entirety. Each state, regardless of its population size, is equally represented by four senators who serve staggered terms of eight years. There being at present 29 states of the Republic, there are currently 116 senators. From 1916-2000, the Senate consisted of seventy two members, six members for each state elected by direct vote for five year terms. It was then doubled to 144 members under President Jose Villa and would remain that way until 2020 when electoral reforms reduced the number of Senators. Now senators are elected at large in their state a through a two-round voting system.

Under the Constitution of Scotatrova, the Senate has nearly the same powers as the Chamber of Deputies. However, as the upper house of Parliament, the Senate has several powers unique to it. These include the approval of treaties, and the confirmation of Cabinet ministries, High Court justices, federal judges, ambassadors, other federal executive officials and other federal uniformed officers. Furthermore, the Senate has the responsibility of conducting the trials of those impeached by the Chamber. Bills may be submitted by either house of Parliament. Because both houses may amend the bill, it may take several readings to reach an agreement between the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. When the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies cannot agree on a bill, a commission is called to give the final decision to the Chamber of Deputies, whose majority is normally on the government's side, but as regarding the constitutional laws the administration must have the Senate's agreement.

Terms and Elections

Senators serve terms of eight years each; the terms are staggered so that approximately half of the seats are up for election every four years. This was achieved by dividing the senators into fourths (called classes), where the terms of Class 1 and Class 2 senators expire after four years, and the terms of Class 3 and Class 4 senators expire after four years. This arrangement was followed after the admission of new states. The staggering of terms has been arranged such that three seats from a given state are not contested in the same general election, except when a mid-term vacancy is being filled. In 2020, all classes had elected senators to them as they were to serve in the new Parliament. In the 2022 legislative elections however, the term lengths would have officially began, meaning terms would now take place every four years after 2022. This means that the Class 1 and Class 2 seats up for election in 2022 won't be up for reelection until 2030, while seats for Class 3 and Class 4 will be up for renewal in 2026. There is no constitutional limit to the number of terms a senator may serve.

Elections to the Senate are held on the first Monday in October in even-numbered years, Election Day, with the runoff being held a week later and coincide with elections for the Chamber of Deputies. Senators are elected by their state as a whole. Same with the Chamber of Deputies, in order for a senator to be elected in the first round of voting, a candidate must obtain at least 50% of the votes cast, with a turn-out of at least 25% of the registered voters on the electoral rolls. If no candidate is elected in the first round, those who poll in excess of 12.5% of the registered voters in the first-round vote are entered in the second round of voting. If no candidate comply such conditions, the two highest-placing candidates advance to second round. In the second round, the candidate who receives the most votes is elected.

Composition

The "majority party" is the political party that either has a majority of seats, if two or more parties are tied, the president's affiliation determines which party is the majority party. The next-largest party is known as the minority party. The Senate elects its own officers, who maintain order and decorum, manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate, and interpret the Senate's rules, practices and precedents. Many non-member officers are also hired to run various day-to-day functions of the Senate. The President of the Senate is elected by Senators from among their members. The current incumbent is Cristina Alguacil of the Liberal party. The President of the Senate is the third in the line of succession, after the Vice-President and President of the Chamber of Deputies, in case of death, resignation or removal from office (only for health reasons), to the presidency of the Scotatrovian People's Republic.

Voting

Debate, like most other matters governing the internal functioning of the Senate, is governed by internal rules adopted by the Senate. During debate, senators may only speak if called upon by the presiding officer, but the presiding officer is required to recognize the first senator who rises to speak. Thus, the presiding officer has little control over the course of debate. Customarily, the majority leader and minority leader are accorded priority during debates even if another senator rises first. All speeches must be addressed to the presiding officer, who is addressed as "Mr. President" or "Madam President", and not to another member; other Members must be referred to in the third person.

When debate concludes, the motion in question is put to a vote. The Senate often votes by voice vote. The presiding officer puts the question, and Members respond either "Siv" (in favor of the motion) or "Non" (against the motion). The presiding officer then announces the result of the voice vote. A senator, however, may challenge the presiding officer's assessment and request a recorded vote. The request may be granted only if it is seconded by one-fifth of the senators present. In practice, however, senators second requests for recorded votes as a matter of courtesy. When a recorded vote is held, the clerk calls the roll of the Senate in alphabetical order; senators respond when their name is called. Senators who were not in the chamber when their name was called may still cast a vote so long as the voting remains open. The vote is closed at the discretion of the presiding officer, but must remain open for a minimum of 15 minutes. A majority of those voting determines whether the motion carries. If the vote is tied, the Senate president, if present, is entitled to cast a tie-breaking vote. If the president is not present, the motion fails.

Current Senators