Senate of Spain | |
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| 15th Senate of Spain | |
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1834 (disbanded 1923–1977) 1977 (reinstituted) |
| Leadership | |
Majority leader | Alicia García Rodríguez (PP) since 30 November 2023 |
Minority leader | Juan Espadas (PSOE) since 27 November 2023 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 266 |
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Political groups | Government (93) Opposition (149) |
| Elections | |
| Limited voting (208 seats) Election by thelegislatures of the autonomous communities (57 seats) | |
Last election | 23 July 2023 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Palacio del Senado Centro,Madrid Kingdom of Spain | |
| Website | |
| senado | |
| Rules | |
| Senate Standing Orders | |
TheSenate (Spanish:Senado) is theupper house of theCortes Generales, which along with theCongress of Deputies – thelower chamber – comprises theParliament of theKingdom of Spain. The Senate meets in thePalace of the Senate inMadrid. The presiding officer of the Senate is thepresident of the Senate, who is elected by the members at the first sitting after each national election.
The composition of the Senate is established inPart III of the Spanish Constitution. Each senator represents aprovince, anautonomous city or anautonomous community. Each mainland province, regardless of its population size, is equally represented by four senators; in the insular provinces, the larger islands are represented by three senators and the minor islands are represented by a single senator. Likewise, the autonomous cities ofCeuta andMelilla elect two senators each. This direct election results in the election of 208 senators by the citizens. In addition, theregional legislatures also designate their own representatives, one senator for each autonomous community and another for every million residents, resulting in a total of 58 additional senators.
The Spanish Senate is constitutionally described as a territorial chamber. Consequently, although in general its powers are similar to those of the Congress of Deputies, it is endowed with exceptional powers such as authorising theGovernment to apply direct rule to a region or to dissolve local government councils.
Intensive debates about reforming the Senate's function and purpose have been going on for many years without any resolution.[1]
The first Spanish Constitution, theSpanish Constitution of 1812, established a unicameral legislative, therefore, an upper Chamber did not exist.
The Senate was first established under theRoyal Statute of 1834 approved byQueen RegentMaria Christina of the Two Sicilies under the denomination ofHouse of Peers but it did not last long and in 1837, under the Constitution of that year, the upper house acquired the denomination of Senate.
It remained under the regimes of the constitutions of1845,1856,1869 and1876. It was composed, at that latter time, of three main categories: senators by their own right,senators for life and elected senators. This house, along with the Congress of Deputies, was suppressed after thecoup of GeneralMiguel Primo de Rivera in 1923.
After the restoration of democracy during theSecond Spanish Republic (1931-1939) the new regime opted for a unicameral system, which was continued under theFrancoist dictatorship.
Only after theSpanish transition to democracy in 1977 was it re-established.
The Spanish parliamentary system is bicameral but asymmetric. TheCongress of Deputies has more independent functions, and it can also override most Senate measures. Only the Congress can grant or revoke confidence in thePrime Minister.
Either house may propose an ordinary law (or bill,Spanish:proyecto de ley). A bill passed by Congress can beamended or vetoed by the Senate in which case the bill is then sent back to the lower house, which can override these objections by anabsolute majority vote.Organic laws, which govern basic civil rights and regional devolution, need an absolute majority of both congress and senate to pass.
The process for constitutional amendments is more complicated: the rule is to require athree fifths (60%) of both houses, but if the Senate does not achieve such a supermajority and a joint congress-senate committee fails to resolve the issues, the Congress may force the amendment through with a two-thirds vote as long as an absolute majority of the Senate was in favour. But for some specific types of amendments including those related to most clauses related to human rights, both houses must approve of the amendment by a two thirds vote, and an election must be held and the amendment must pass by a two thirds vote a second time, and if that is approved, the people must vote for the amendment in a referendum by majority vote.
The Senate has certain exclusive functions including
Senate reform has been a topic of discussion since the early days of Spanish democracy.One proposal would advance thefederalization of Spain by remaking the Senate to represent theautonomous communities of Spain.
Senators formgroups along party lines. Parties with fewer than ten senators form the Mixed Group. If the membership of an existing group falls below six during a session, it is merged into the Mixed Group at the next session. For example,Coalición Canaria lost its senate caucus in 2008 afterelectoral losses reduced its group from six to two. TheBasque Nationalist Party, falling from seven to four, "borrowed" senators from the rulingSocialist Party to form their group; in exchange, they supported the election of socialist Javier Rojo as President of the Senate.
Legally, 133 seats are required for an absolute majority, vacant seats notwithstanding.
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To date, senate elections have coincided with elections to the lower house, but the prime minister may advise the king to call elections for one house only.[4] While theCongress of Deputies is chosen byparty list proportional representation, the members of the senate are chosen in two distinct ways: popular election bylimited voting and appointment from regional legislatures.
Most members of the senate (currently 208 of 266) are directly elected by the people. Eachprovince elects four senators without regard to population. Insular provinces are treated specially. The larger islands of theBalearics (Baleares) andCanaries (Canarias)—Mallorca,Gran Canaria, andTenerife—are assigned three seats each, and the smaller islands—Menorca,Ibiza–Formentera,Fuerteventura,Gomera,Hierro,Lanzarote andLa Palma—one each;Ceuta andMelilla are assigned two seats each.[5][6]This allocation is heavily weighted in favor of small provinces;Madrid, with its 6.5 million people, andSoria, with 90,000 inhabitants, are each represented by four senators.
In non-insular constituencies, each party nominates three candidates. Candidates' names are organized in columns by party on a large (DIN A3 or larger)ochre-colored ballot called asábana orbedsheet.
Each voter may mark up to three candidates' names, from any party. This is the only occasion when Spanish voters vote for individuals rather than aparty list.Panachage is allowed, but typically voters cast all three votes for candidates of a single party. As a result, the four senators are usually the three candidates from the most popular party and the first placed candidate from the next most popular.
Before 2011, a party could not choose the order of its candidates on the ballot paper; candidates were sorted alphabetically bysurname. When a party did not get all three of its candidates elected, this arrangement favored candidates with surnames early in the alphabet. This was the case for 2nd placed parties in every province and for both parties in tight races when voters did not vote for three candidates of the same party (panachage).
| Autonomous Community | Provinces | Senators | Population (2023) | Senator/pop.-ratio | Distribution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andalusia | 8 | 32 | 8,584,147 | 268,254 |
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| Aragon | 3 | 12 | 1,341,289 | 111,774 |
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| Asturias | 1 | 4 | 1,006,060 | 251,515 |
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| Balearic Islands | 1* | 5[b] | 1,209,906 | 241,981 |
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| Basque Country | 3 | 12 | 2,216,302 | 184,691 |
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| Canary Islands | 2* | 11[c] | 2,213,016 | 201,183 |
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| Cantabria | 1 | 4 | 588,387 | 147,096 |
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| Castile and León | 9 | 36 | 2,383,703 | 66,213 |
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| Castilla–La Mancha | 5 | 20 | 2,084,086 | 104,204 |
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| Catalonia | 4 | 16 | 7,901,963 | 493,872 |
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| Extremadura | 2 | 8 | 1,054,306 | 131,788 |
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| Galicia | 4 | 16 | 2,699,424 | 168,714 |
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| La Rioja | 1 | 4 | 322,282 | 80,570 |
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| Madrid | 1 | 4 | 6,871,903 | 1,717,975 |
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| Murcia | 1 | 4 | 1,551,692 | 387,923 |
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| Navarre | 1 | 4 | 672,155 | 168,038 |
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| Valencian Community | 3 | 12 | 5,216,195 | 434,682 |
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| Ceuta | N/A | 2 | 83,052 | 41,526 |
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| Melilla | N/A | 2 | 85,493 | 42,746 |
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| Total | 50 | 208 | 48,085,361 | 276,039 | Source:[1] | ||||
The legislative assembly of eachautonomous community of Spain appoints a senators to represent the community, with one senator per one million citizens, rounded up.[7] Demographic growth increased the combined size of the regional appointed senators from 51 to 57 since 1983.
Conventionally, the proportions of the regional senators mimic their legislative assemblies. However, autonomous communities have considerable leeway, and a motion to appoint the regional senators often requires no more than aplurality:
| Autonomous Community | Population (2023) | Senators | Senator/pop.-ratio | Election | Distribution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andalusia | 8,584,147 | 9 | 953,794 | 2022 |
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| Aragon | 1,341,289 | 2 | 670,644 | 2023 |
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| Asturias | 1,006,060 | 2 | 503,030 | 2023 |
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| Balearic Islands | 1,209,906 | 2 | 604,953 | 2023 |
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| Basque Country | 2,216,302 | 3 | 738,767 | 2024 |
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| Canary Islands | 2,213,016 | 3 | 737,672 | 2023 |
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| Cantabria | 588,387 | 1 | 588,387 | 2023 |
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| Castile and León | 2,383,703 | 3 | 794,567 | 2022 |
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| Castilla–La Mancha | 2,084,086 | 3 | 694,695 | 2023 |
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| Catalonia | 7,901,963 | 8 | 987,745 | 2024 |
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| Extremadura | 1,054,306 | 2 | 527,153 | 2023 |
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| Galicia | 2,699,424 | 3 | 899,808 | 2024 |
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| La Rioja | 322,282 | 1 | 322,282 | 2023 |
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| Madrid | 6,871,903 | 7 | 981,700 | 2023 |
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| Murcia | 1,551,692 | 2 | 775,846 | 2023 |
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| Navarre | 672,155 | 1 | 672,155 | 2023 |
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| Valencian Community | 5,216,195 | 6 | 869,365 | 2023 |
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| Total | 48,085,361 | 58 | 724,856 | Source:[2] | |||||
Thelast election was held on 23 July 2023. Following the election, the composition of the 15th Senate was:
| Parliamentary group | Elected | App. | Total |
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| People's Party Group in the Senate | 120 | 24 | 144 |
| Socialist Group | 72 | 19 | 91 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | 53 | 14 | 67 | ||
| Socialists' Party of Catalonia | 12 | 3 | 15 | ||
| Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left | 4 | 1 | 5 | ||
| Socialists' Party of Galicia | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Republican Left–EH Bildu Group | 7 | 4 | 11 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Left of Catalonia | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| EH Bildu | 4 | 1 | 5 | ||
| Plural Group in the Senate (JxCat–CC-AHI-BNG) | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Together for Catalonia | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Galician Nationalist Bloc | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Canarian Coalition | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Independent Herrenian Group | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Basque Group in the Senate | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Confederal Left Group | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gomera Socialist Group | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Geroa Bai | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Pacte Progressista | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| More Madrid | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Commitment Coalition | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Mixed Group | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vox | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Navarrese People's Union | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Vacant | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 208 | 58 | 266 | |
 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2023) |
| Committee[8] | Chair(s) | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | María Teresa Macías | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Foreign Affairs | Antonio Gutiérrez Limones | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Ibero-American Affairs | César Alejandro Mogo Zaro | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Science, Innovation and Universities | Francisco Javier de Lucas Martín | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Constitutional | Antonio Magdaleno Alegría | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| International Cooperation for Development | Elena Diego | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Culture and Sport | Manuel Escarda Escarda | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Defence | Pilar Llop Cuenca | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Rights of Families, Childhood and Adolescence | María de los Ángeles Luna Morales | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Economy and Business | Javier Garcinuño Rama | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Education and Vocational Training | José Asensi Sabater | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Local Administrations | Miguel Carmelo Dalmau Blanco | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Public Works | José Fernández Blanco | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Civil Service | Salvador Vidal Varela | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| General on Autonomous Communities | Joan Lerma Blasco | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Finance | Cosme Bonet Bonet | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Equality | Josefina Antonia Bueno Alonso | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Incompatibilities | Julia María Liberal Liberal | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Industry, Trade and Tourism | Marisa Bustinduy | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Home Affairs | María Jesús Castro Mateos | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Justice | Francisco Manuel Fajardo Palarea (PSOE) | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Nominations | Manuel Cruz | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Rules | ||||
| Comprehensive Disability Policies | María Teresa Fernández Molina | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Petitions | Micaela Navarro | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Budget | José Antonio Monago | PP | 2019–present | |
| Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare | Modesto Pose Mesura | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Petitions by a Court | Félix Ortega Fernández | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Labour, Migrations and Social Security | Antonio Armando Ferrer | PSOE | 2019–present | |
| Ecological Transition | María Isabel Moreno Duque | PSOE | 2019–present | |
This is a list of the Presidents of the Senate since the reestablishment of the upper house in 1977. To see previous presidents, look the fulllist of presidents of the Senate.
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Tenure (Years and days) | Party | Legislature | Monarch (Reign) | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Antonio Fontán President of the Senate (1923–2010) | 13 July 1977 — 2 January 1979 | 1 year, 173 days | Union of the Democratic Centre | Constituent (1977) | Juan Carlos I_cropped.jpg) (1975–2014) | ||
_Adolfo_Su%25C3%25A1rez_junto_al_vicepresidente_primero_y_de_Asuntos_de_Defensa%2c_en_el_Congreso_de_los_Diputados._Pool_Moncloa._1979_(cropped).jpeg) | Cecilio Valverde President of the Senate (1927–2001) | 27 April 1979 — 31 August 1982 | 3 years, 126 days | Union of the Democratic Centre | I (1979) | |||
_Felipe_Gonz%25C3%25A1lez_junto_al_presidente_del_Senado_y_el_presidente_del_Congreso_(cropped).jpeg) | José Federico de Carvajal President of the Senate (1930–2015) | 18 November 1982 — 2 September 1989 | 6 years, 349 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | II (1982) | |||
| III (1986) | ||||||||
.jpg) | Juan José Laborda President of the Senate (born 1947) | 21 November 1989 — 9 January 1996 | 6 years, 49 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | IV (1989) | |||
| V (1993) | ||||||||
 | Juan Ignacio Barrero President of the Senate (born 1943) | 27 March 1996 — 8 February 1999 | 2 years, 318 days | People's Party | VI (1996) | |||
.jpg) | Esperanza Aguirre Countess consort of Murillo President of the Senate (born 1952) | 8 February 1999 — 21 October 2002 | 3 years, 255 days | People's Party | ||||
| VII (2000) | ||||||||
_(cropped).jpeg) | Juan José Lucas President of the Senate (born 1944) | 22 October 2002 — 20 January 2004 | 1 year, 90 days | People's Party | ||||
_Fern%25C3%25A1ndez_de_la_Vega_preside_en_el_Senado_la_inauguraci%25C3%25B3n_del_VII_Congreso_de_la_Asociaci%25C3%25B3n_de_Constitucionalistas_de_Espa%25C3%25B1a._Pool_Moncloa._22_de_enero_de_2009_(cropped).jpeg) | Javier Rojo President of the Senate (born 1949) | 2 April 2004 — 27 September 2011 | 7 years, 178 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | VIII (2004) | |||
| IX (2008) | ||||||||
_AACU4015_2018_(41536086810)_(cropped).jpg) | Pío García-Escudero 4th Count of Badarán President of the Senate (born 1952) | 13 December 2011 — 20 May 2019 | 7 years, 158 days | People's Party | X (2011) | |||
Felipe VI_Inauguraci%25C3%25B3n_de_FITUR_2018_(39840659951)_(cropped).jpg) (2014–present) | ||||||||
| XI (2015) | ||||||||
| XII (2016) | ||||||||
.jpg) | Manuel Cruz President of the Senate (born 1951) | 21 May 2019 — 2 December 2019 | 195 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | XIII (2019) | |||
 | Pilar Llop President of the Senate (born 1973) | 3 December 2019 — 8 July 2021 | 1 year, 217 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | XIV (2019) | |||
_Clausura_%25E2%2580%259CForo_PSOE_%2526_Organizaci%25C3%25B3n._Una_campa%25C3%25B1a_electoral_exitosa%25E2%2580%259D_(43996293934)_(cropped).jpg) | Ander Gil President of the Senate (born 1974) | 12 July 2021 — 16 August 2023 | 2 years, 35 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | XIV (2019) | |||
_Premio_%25E2%2580%259CMujer_del_A%25C3%25B1o%25E2%2580%259D_concedido_por_Madrid_Diario_(34678124742)_2017_(cropped).jpg) | Pedro Rollán President of the Senate (born 1974) | 17 August 2023 — Incumbent | 1 year, 222 days | People's Party | XV (2023) | |||
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| National | |
40°25′14″N3°42′46″W / 40.42056°N 3.71278°W /40.42056; -3.71278
