Soltenish Senate
Federal Senate Senato Federale | |
|---|---|
| 13th Soltenish Senate | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | July 15, 1980 |
New session started | July 14, 2019 |
| Leadership | |
Prime Minister | Aurelio D'Libero (PUF) since July 29, 2019 |
Secretary of the Senate | Enzo Deloni (PUF) since July 29, 2019 |
Senate Parliamentarian | Mario Granzi (PUF) since July 29, 2019 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 356 Senators |
 | |
Political groups |
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| Elections | |
Last election | July 14, 2019 |
Next election | July 10, 2022 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Soltenish Capitol Free City of Carez | |
The Federal Senate (Soltenish: Senato Federale), commonly referred to as simply the Senate (Soltenish:Senato), is the unicameral parliament of Soltenia. According to the Constitution of Soltenia, the Senate "is the representative assembly of all Soltenish citizens". The constitution names the Senate as the country's organ of supreme authority.
It is located in a historical building in Carez, referred to as the Palazzo delle Repubbliche Unite (Palace of the United Republics), the site of the General Assembly during the Federation era. The Palazzo delle Repubbliche Unite has been the seat of the Soltenish legislature since 1897 (Federal Congress until 1914 and the Politburo from 1914 to 1969).
Powers and Duties
The Senate's powers derive from its ability to dismiss a government through a vote of no confidence, to change the country's laws, and to amend the constitution (which requires a majority of two-thirds). In addition to these key powers, the constitution grants to the Senate extensive legislative powers and substantial control over the budget, the right to authorize the government to raise taxes and grant loans, the power to ratify treaties and other kinds of international agreements, and the duty to declare war and make peace. The Senate also approves the apointment many members of important state institutions.
The constitution requires the Senate to quickly review and approve an incoming government's program. Parliamentary rules allow the Senate to call for committees of inquiry to examine the government's actions. Political opposition represented in the assembly has the power to review the cabinet's actions, even though it is unlikely that the actions can be reversed. Party groups can also call for interpellations that require debates about specific government policies.
Structure
The assembly originally consisted of 100 Senators, but the constitutional reforms of 1989 increased its number to 214 and then 356. Members are elected by popular vote for legislative terms of three years from the country's one hundred constituencies. 300 of the Senators are elected from constituencies each electing three Senators. These constituencies are distributed according to the population of the constituent republics. The remaining 56 are guaranteed Senators, each republic gets 4. 28 are elected by at-large elections in each Republic and Carez, 14 are appointed by the chief executive of each Republic, and the remaining 14 are appointed by the legislature of each Republic.
For the 2019 legislative elections, the Senators distributed by districts were as follows: