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A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature.

Overview

The word senate is derived from the Latin word senex for "old man", via the Latin word senatus (senate). The members or legislators of a senate are called senators. The Latin word senator was adopted into English with no change in spelling. Its meaning comes from a very ancient form of even simple social organization in which decision-making powers are reserved for the eldest men. For the same reason, the word senate is correctly used when referring to any powerful authority characteristically composed by the eldest members of a community, as a deliberative body of a faculty in an institution of higher learning is often called a senate. The original senate was the Roman Senate, which lasted until 580.

Modern democratic states with bicameral parliamentary systems are sometimes equipped with a senate, often distinguished by an ordinary parallel lower house, known variously as the "House of Representatives", "House of Commons", "Chamber of Deputies", "National Assembly" or "House of Assembly", by electoral rules. This may include minimum age required for voters and candidates, proportional or majoritarian or plurality system, and an electoral basis or collegium. Typically, the senate is referred to as the upper house and has a smaller membership than the lower house.

Senate membership can be determined either through elections or appointments. For example, elections are held every 3 years for half the membership of the Australian Senate, the term of a senator being 6 years. In contrast, members of the Canadian Senate are appointed by the Governor General upon the recommendation of the prime minister of Canada. Some states have a combination of these two approaches, such as the Jamaican Senate, where thirteen are appointed by the prime minister and eight by the leader of the opposition.

In a federal system, the senate often serves a balancing effect by giving a larger share of power to regions and groups which would otherwise be overwhelmed in a purely representative system. In the legislatures of U.S. states, senates were also used for this purpose until the 1963 case of Baker v. Carr, in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that state legislatures must apportion seats in both houses according to population. However, there are still typically fewer members of a state Senate than there are members of the lower house.

A senate can also be the name of an executive branch of government. Until 1919, the Senate of Finland was the executive branch and supreme court.

In Germany, the term Senate also has different meanings, referring to the executive branch of government rather than the legislature, and to the judiciary. In the city states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg, the executive is called the Senate ("Senat" in German), with Senators ("Senatoren") holding ministerial portfolios. Also in Germany, bodies of usually five judges in higher courts of appeal hearing and deciding cases are called "senates", although the judges are not called "senators". However, in the Free State of Bavaria, the Senate was the upper house of parliament until its abolition in 1999.

The title of senator can also be used for certain members of other legislative bodies, for example, some elected members of the States of Jersey, and nominated members of Dominica's House of Assembly and St. Kitts and Nevis's National Assembly, are known as 'Senators'. In Scotland, judges of the High Court of Justiciary are called Senators of the College of Justice.

Senates around the world

Other names

In the 5 Australian states that have upper houses, it is called the Legislative Council, as compared to the lower house, generally called the Legislative Assembly.

Defunct senates

1. Senate abolished, unicameral system adopted.
2. Legislature disbanded.
3. New Constitution adopted.
4. Replaced by National Council of Provinces.

See also

Legislatures | National upper houses

Senat | Senát | Senat | Senat | Senado | Senato | Sénat | Senat | Senato | סנאט | Senaat | 元老院 | სენატი | Senat | Senat | Senado | Senat | 参议院

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Senate".

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