President of the Senate
Encyclopedia
The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate
, and is the speaker
of other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession
for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria
is second in line for succession to the presidency, after only the Vice President of the Republic
, while in France
, which has no vice president, the Senate President is first in line to succeed to the Presidential powers and duties.
elects a President and Vice President, for a five-year period, at the start of each parliamentary session. These officers may not be members of the government. The current incumbents are Hazelyn Francis
and McKenzie Morris Frank.
is presided by the Vice-President of the Republic, currently Julio Cobos
. This was a recent expansion of the Vice-President's powers introduced as part of the 1994 Constitutional amendments
(Constitution
, Art. 57). The Vice-President may only cast a vote to break a tied Senate vote.
party. The current president is John Hogg
, a Labor
senator from Queensland
, who has held the office since 2008.
elects a President and a Vice President, neither of whom may be ministers or parliamentary secretaries. Prior to the January 2008 general election
, the positions were held by Sir Fred Gollop and Dame Patricia Symmonds
.
is elected by the senators at the beginning of each parliamentary term. The President of the Senate is customarily a member of a majority party with a great deal of political experience. The president presides over the plenary assembly of the Senate, guides and controls debates in the assembly, is responsible for ensuring the democratic functioning of the Senate, maintains order and security in the assembly and for enforcing the Rules of the Senate, and represents the Senate at both the national (to the other institutions) and the international level.
The President of the Senate, together with the President of the Chamber of Representatives, ranks immediately behind the King in the order of precedence
. The elder of the two takes the second place in the order of precedence. The Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber rank above the Prime Minister.
elects both a president and a vice-president upon first convening after a general election
. The person elected president may be a senator (provided he/she does not concurrently hold a ministerial position) or a person external to the Senate. The vice-president must be a member of the Senate who does not hold a ministerial portfolio. (Constitution
, section 66.)
The President is Phillip Zuniga, with Mrs. Vincent Parks as Vice-President.
is José Sarney
(Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, Maranhão
)
The President of the Brazilian Senate is the third in order to succeed the president (only below the vice-president and the President of the Chamber of Deputies). It is also the president of the parliament (National Congress), which includes the Senate and the Deputies Chamber.
, since 17 August 2005, is Gervais Rufyikiri
of the CNDD-FDD
. The president is assisted in his work by two vice-presidents.
is led by a 12-person permanent commission (bureau), which is in turn chaired by the President of the Senate, currently Chea Sim
. He is assisted by a First and a Second Vice-President. The President and Vice-Presidents are elected as the first item of business at the start of every legislative session.
, who serves as the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada, is not described as a "president" in English, the position is called Président du Sénat in French
.
is elected from among the country's senators. The holder of the position, since March 2010, is Jorge Pizarro.
– Javier Cáceres Leal for the 2009–10 period – also serves as the President of the Congress of Colombia
.
elect from among their number both a President and Vice-President, whose roles are similar to those of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives
, respectively.
The incumbents are Kinijoji Maivalili
(President) and Hafiz Khan
(Vice-President).
(1920–1939/1945), the Senate (or Senat in German) was the executive branch, with Senators (Senatoren) being the holders of ministerial portfolios. In Danzig the President of the Senate (Präsident des Senats) was an office equivalent to that of prime minister
in other countries.
, who was senate president from 1968 to 1992 and who served as interim president on two occasions: following Charles de Gaulle
's resignation in 1969, and following Georges Pompidou
's death in office in 1974.
Since 2011, the position has been held by Jean-Pierre Bel
of the Socialist Party (France)
(PS).
of Bremen
and Hamburg
, the Senates (or Senat in German) are the executive branch, with Senators (Senator) being the holders of ministerial portfolios. In these Länder, the President of the Senate (Präsident des Senats) is an office equivalent to that of minister-president
in the other German Länder.
In addition to overseeing the business of the chamber, chairing and regulating debates, deciding whether motions and bills are admissible, representing the Senate, etc., the President of the Senate stands in for the President of the Republic when s/he is unable to perform his/her duties.
The current President of the Senate is Renato Schifani
. For a historical listing, see: Italian Senate#Presidents.
, the senators also elect from among their number a President pro tempore
to lead the chamber's day-to-day business.
elects a president from its members, who is comparable to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
. The position is partisan and has usually been held by a member of the Government party.
, at the beginning of each annual legislative session, elects an Executive Board (Mesa Directiva) from among its 128 members. The Executive Board comprises a president, three vice-presidents, and four secretaries, elected by an absolute majority of the Senators. Members of the Executive Board may be re-elected for the following year without restriction. The President of the Executive Board also serves as the President of the Senate.
The President of the Senate for the 2008–09 period of sessions is Gustavo Enrique Madero Muñoz, a National Action Party
(PAN) senator for Chihuahua.
, elected by its membership.
The President of the Senate is David Mark
, who represents Benue State
for the People's Democratic Party
.
of the Romanian Senate. It consists of the President of the Senate
, four vice-presidents, four secretaries, and four quaestors. The President of the Standing Bureau also serves as the President of the Senate. The President is elected, by secret ballot, for the duration of the legislative period.
was the upper house
of Parliament
between 1910 and 1981, and between 1994 and 1997. During both periods, the Senate was led by a President.
was the upper house
of Parliament
between 1947 and 1971. During this periods, the Senate was led by a President
.
of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago
, who is generally elected from the government benches, chairs debates in the chamber and stands in for the country's president
during periods of absence or illness (Constitution, section 27). A Vice-President of the Senate is also elected from among the senators. The current President of the Senate is Roger Hamel-Smith.
The current Vice President of the United States and President of the United States Senate is Joe Biden
.
Only twice in U.S. history has the Vice President been from a different political party from that of the President, namely when Democrat
Andrew Johnson
was vice president under Republican
Abraham Lincoln
and Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson
was vice president under Federalist
John Adams
; a situation that in part prompted the later adoption of the Twelfth Amendment
to prevent such a situation from reoccurring.
The vice president holds a tie-breaking (or "casting
") vote in the Senate. Vice presidents have cast 242 tie-breaking votes
. The vice president with the most tie breaking votes is John Adams
with 29.
, the presiding officer of the state senate (the upper house
) is a matter decided by the state's constitution. Some states designate the lieutenant governor as president of the senate, while in other states, the Senate elects its own president. The Tennessee Senate
elects a senator Speaker of the Senate
, who is given the title of Lieutenant Governor.
Similarly, New Hampshire
has no lieutenant governor, but the state senate elects a president who is the de facto
lieutenant governor, given that in the event of the governor's death, resignation, or inability to serve, the president of the senate acts as governor until the vacancy is filled. New Jersey
previously used the same system, but with the important proviso that the Senate president continued to serve in that position while also serving as acting governor. After Christine Todd Whitman
resigned as governor, Donald DiFrancesco
spent nearly a year as acting governor. As a result of his tenure, questions were raised about the propriety of such a system, particularly with regard to separation of powers
-related issues. A constitutional amendment was enacted in 2005 to create the office of lieuteant governor
effective at the 2009 election
.
presides over the country's 30-member Senate
.
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class...
, and is the speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession
Order of succession
An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...
for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria
President of the Senate of Nigeria
The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Senate of Nigeria, elected by its membership. The Senate President is second in line for succession to the Nigerian presidency, after the Vice President of Nigeria...
is second in line for succession to the presidency, after only the Vice President of the Republic
Vice President of Nigeria
The Vice President of Nigeria is the second-in-command to the President of Nigeria in the Government of Nigeria. Officially styled Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.The Vice President is elected alongside the President in national elections...
, while in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which has no vice president, the Senate President is first in line to succeed to the Presidential powers and duties.
Antigua and Barbuda
The Senate of Antigua and BarbudaSenate of Antigua and Barbuda
The Senate is the Upper House of Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda. It consists of 17 members appointed by the Governor General. Ten Members are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, four on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, one on the advice of the Barbuda Council, one resident...
elects a President and Vice President, for a five-year period, at the start of each parliamentary session. These officers may not be members of the government. The current incumbents are Hazelyn Francis
Hazelyn Francis
Hazelyn Francis is a politician, former teacher, and trade-union leader from Antigua and Barbuda. She currently serves as President of that country's Senate....
and McKenzie Morris Frank.
Argentina
The Argentine SenateArgentine Senate
The Argentine Senate is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress. It has 72 senators: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires...
is presided by the Vice-President of the Republic, currently Julio Cobos
Julio Cobos
Julio César Cleto Cobos is an Argentine politician, currently serving as the Vice President of Argentina alongside President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He started his political career as member of the Radical Civic Union , becoming Governor of Mendoza in 2003...
. This was a recent expansion of the Vice-President's powers introduced as part of the 1994 Constitutional amendments
1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution
The 1994 amendment to the Constitution of Argentina was approved on 22 August by a Constitutional Assembly that met in the twin cities of Santa Fe and Paraná...
(Constitution
Constitution of Argentina
The constitution of Argentina is one of the primary sources of existing law in Argentina. Its first version was written in 1853 by a Constitutional Assembly gathered in Santa Fe, and the doctrinal basis was taken in part from the United States Constitution...
, Art. 57). The Vice-President may only cast a vote to break a tied Senate vote.
Australia
The President of the Australian Senate is a senator, traditionally a member of the governing party or coalition, elected by the Senate at the begenning of each parliament as the first item of business. They are assisted by a Deputy President who is traditionally a member of the largest oppositionOpposition (Australia)
Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Australia fulfils the same function as the official opposition in other Commonwealth of Nations monarchies. It is seen as the alternative government and the existing administration's main opponent at a general election...
party. The current president is John Hogg
John Hogg
John Joseph Hogg is an Australian politician, and has been a member of the Australian Senate for the state of Queensland since July 1996, representing the Australian Labor Party. He was elected the 23rd President of the Senate on 26 August 2008.Hogg was born in Brisbane to Francis Patrick and...
, a Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
senator from Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, who has held the office since 2008.
Barbados
At the start of every parliamentary session, the Senate of BarbadosSenate of Barbados
The Senate is the name given to the Upper House of the bicameral legislature the Parliament of Barbados. The Senate is accorded legitimacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados. It is the smaller of both chambers and also includes HM Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados...
elects a President and a Vice President, neither of whom may be ministers or parliamentary secretaries. Prior to the January 2008 general election
Barbadian general election, 2008
A general election was held in Barbados on 15 January 2008. A concurrent referendum to determine whether or not to become a republic was initially planned but that vote was postponed....
, the positions were held by Sir Fred Gollop and Dame Patricia Symmonds
Patricia Symmonds
Dame Olga Patricia Symmonds, GCM, DBE , best known as Patricia Symmonds, is a Barbadian politician, member of the Senate of Barbados and a former teacher....
.
Belgium
The presiding officer of the Belgian SenateBelgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
is elected by the senators at the beginning of each parliamentary term. The President of the Senate is customarily a member of a majority party with a great deal of political experience. The president presides over the plenary assembly of the Senate, guides and controls debates in the assembly, is responsible for ensuring the democratic functioning of the Senate, maintains order and security in the assembly and for enforcing the Rules of the Senate, and represents the Senate at both the national (to the other institutions) and the international level.
The President of the Senate, together with the President of the Chamber of Representatives, ranks immediately behind the King in the order of precedence
Order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of items. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments...
. The elder of the two takes the second place in the order of precedence. The Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber rank above the Prime Minister.
Belize
The Senate of BelizeSenate of Belize
The Senate is one of the chambers of the National Assembly. It has 12 members appointed for a five year term by the Governor General.- Establishment and appointment :Senators are appointed by the Governor General in the following manner:...
elects both a president and a vice-president upon first convening after a general election
Elections in Belize
Elections in Belize are the duly held elections held at various levels of government in the nation of Belize.- The Legislature :Dissolving the National Assembly is the prerogative of the Governor General of Belize, currently Sir Colville Young...
. The person elected president may be a senator (provided he/she does not concurrently hold a ministerial position) or a person external to the Senate. The vice-president must be a member of the Senate who does not hold a ministerial portfolio. (Constitution
Constitution of Belize
The Constitution of Belize is the supreme law of the nation of Belize. It was signed in September 1981 with effect from that date.- Structure :...
, section 66.)
The President is Phillip Zuniga, with Mrs. Vincent Parks as Vice-President.
Brazil
The President of Brazil's Federal SenateSenate of Brazil
The Federal Senate of Brazil is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired by the United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States...
is José Sarney
José Sarney
José Sarney de Araújo Costa is a Brazilian lawyer, writer and politician. He served as president of Brazil from 15 March 1985 to 15 March 1990....
(Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
)
The President of the Brazilian Senate is the third in order to succeed the president (only below the vice-president and the President of the Chamber of Deputies). It is also the president of the parliament (National Congress), which includes the Senate and the Deputies Chamber.
Burundi
The President of the Senate of BurundiSenate of Burundi
The Senate is the upper chamber of Parliament in Burundi. It consists of no fewer than 37 and no more than 54 members who serve 5-year terms....
, since 17 August 2005, is Gervais Rufyikiri
Gervais Rufyikiri
Gervais Rufyikiri has been the Second Vice President of Burundi since 2010. He became president of the Burundian Senate on 17 August 2005...
of the CNDD-FDD
National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy
The National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy was the most significant rebel group active in the Burundi Civil War and became a major political party in Burundi...
. The president is assisted in his work by two vice-presidents.
Cambodia
The Senate of CambodiaSenate of Cambodia
The Senate of Cambodia is the upper house of the Parliament of Cambodia.According to the , The Senate is a body that has legislative power and performs its duties as determined in the constitution and law. The Senate consists of 58 members that the number of which does not exceed half of all of...
is led by a 12-person permanent commission (bureau), which is in turn chaired by the President of the Senate, currently Chea Sim
Chea Sim
Chea Sim is a Chinese Cambodian politician. He was the President of the National Assembly from 1981–98 and is currently the President of the Senate .-Biography:...
. He is assisted by a First and a Second Vice-President. The President and Vice-Presidents are elected as the first item of business at the start of every legislative session.
Canada
While the Speaker of the Canadian SenateSpeaker of the Canadian Senate
The Speaker of the Senate of Canada is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentary privilege, and oversee debates and voting in the red chamber. This position is often...
, who serves as the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada, is not described as a "president" in English, the position is called Président du Sénat in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Chile
The President of the Senate of ChileSenate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
is elected from among the country's senators. The holder of the position, since March 2010, is Jorge Pizarro.
Colombia
The President of the SenateSenate of Colombia
The Senate of the Republic of Colombia is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia...
– Javier Cáceres Leal for the 2009–10 period – also serves as the President of the Congress of Colombia
President of the Congress of Colombia
The President of the Congress of Colombia is the leader of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia. The Presidency of Congress is assumed by the person elected as President of the Senate of Colombia by members of the Senate in an election held every year on July 20...
.
Fiji
The members of the Senate of FijiSenate (Fiji)
The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. It is the less powerful of the two chambers; it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or veto it. The Senate's powers over financial bills are more restricted: it may veto them in their entirety, but may not amend them...
elect from among their number both a President and Vice-President, whose roles are similar to those of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives
House of Representatives (Fiji)
The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...
, respectively.
The incumbents are Kinijoji Maivalili
Kinijoji Maivalili
Ratu Kinijoji R. Maivalili is a Fijian Chief and political leader. Since 2001 he has represented the Province of Cakaudrove in the Senate as one of fourteen nominees of the Great Council of Chiefs...
(President) and Hafiz Khan
Hafiz Khan
Hafizud Dean Khan is a Fijian businessman, Senator and president of the Muslim League. Appointed to the Senate on 13 July 2005 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Dr Ahmed Ali, Khan became one of the 9 out of 32 Senators nominated by the Prime Minister...
(Vice-President).
Danzig
In the Free City of DanzigFree City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
(1920–1939/1945), the Senate (or Senat in German) was the executive branch, with Senators (Senatoren) being the holders of ministerial portfolios. In Danzig the President of the Senate (Präsident des Senats) was an office equivalent to that of prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
in other countries.
France
The Senate of France elects a president from among its own number. The President of the French Senate stands first in line of succession in case of death or resignation of the President of the Republic, becoming acting president until a presidential election can be held. This most recently occurred with Alain PoherAlain Poher
Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher was a French centrist politician, affiliated first with the Popular Republican Movement and later with the Democratic Centre. He served as a Senator for Val-de-Marne from 1946 to 1995. He was President of the Senate from 3 October 1968 to 1 October 1992 and, in that...
, who was senate president from 1968 to 1992 and who served as interim president on two occasions: following Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
's resignation in 1969, and following Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
's death in office in 1974.
Since 2011, the position has been held by Jean-Pierre Bel
Jean-Pierre Bel
Jean-Pierre Bel is a French politician who has been President of the Senate of France since 2011. From the Ariège department, Bel is a member of the Socialist Party; he was elected to the Senate in September 1998 and re-elected in September 2008...
of the Socialist Party (France)
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
(PS).
Germany
In the German LänderStates of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Bremen
Bremen (state)
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is the smallest of Germany's 16 states. A more informal name, but used in some official contexts, is Land Bremen .-Geography:...
and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, the Senates (or Senat in German) are the executive branch, with Senators (Senator) being the holders of ministerial portfolios. In these Länder, the President of the Senate (Präsident des Senats) is an office equivalent to that of minister-president
Minister-President
A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
in the other German Länder.
Italy
The Senate of Italy holds its first sitting no later than 20 days after a general election. That session, presided by the oldest senator, proceeds to elect the President of the Senate for the following parliamentary period. On the first two attempts at voting, an absolute majority (a majority of all senators) is needed; if a third round is needed, a candidate can be elected by a majority of the senators present and voting. If this third round fails to produce a winner, a final ballot is held between the two senators with the highest votes in the previous ballot. In the case of a tie, the elder senator is deemed the winner.In addition to overseeing the business of the chamber, chairing and regulating debates, deciding whether motions and bills are admissible, representing the Senate, etc., the President of the Senate stands in for the President of the Republic when s/he is unable to perform his/her duties.
The current President of the Senate is Renato Schifani
Renato Schifani
Renato Maria Giuseppe Schifani is an Italian politician and a prominent member of the centre-right People of Freedom. Since 29 April 2008 he has been President of the Italian Senate. Schifani was born in Palermo.-Berlusconi's chief whip:...
. For a historical listing, see: Italian Senate#Presidents.
Liberia
While the Vice President of Liberia serves as President of the SenateSenate of Liberia
The Senate of Liberia is the upper house of the bicameral legislative branch of Liberia, and together with the House of Representatives comprises the Legislature of Liberia...
, the senators also elect from among their number a President pro tempore
President pro tempore
A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...
to lead the chamber's day-to-day business.
Malaysia
The Senate of MalaysiaDewan Negara
The Dewan Negara is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The Dewan Negara consists of 70 members, of which 26 are indirectly elected by the states, with two senators for every state in the Federation, and the other 44 being appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong .The Dewan Negara...
elects a president from its members, who is comparable to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat
The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is the presiding officer of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. He is responsible for convening sessions of the Dewan Rakyat, organising debates, and examining the admissibility of petitions, bills and amendments.In the absence of the...
. The position is partisan and has usually been held by a member of the Government party.
Mexico
The Senate of MexicoSenate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
, at the beginning of each annual legislative session, elects an Executive Board (Mesa Directiva) from among its 128 members. The Executive Board comprises a president, three vice-presidents, and four secretaries, elected by an absolute majority of the Senators. Members of the Executive Board may be re-elected for the following year without restriction. The President of the Executive Board also serves as the President of the Senate.
The President of the Senate for the 2008–09 period of sessions is Gustavo Enrique Madero Muñoz, a National Action Party
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
(PAN) senator for Chihuahua.
Nigeria
The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Senate of NigeriaNigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, elected by its membership.
The President of the Senate is David Mark
David Mark
David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark is the President of the Senate of Nigeria and Senator for the Benue South constituency of Benue State. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party ....
, who represents Benue State
Benue State
Benue is a state in the Middle-Belt region of Nigeria with a population of about 2.8 million in 1991. Tiv, Idoma, and Igede are spoken predominantly. There are other ethnic groups as well. These include Etulo and Abakwa...
for the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
.
Romania
The first session of the Senate is headed by the eldest senator. In that session the senators elect theStanding BureauStanding Bureau of the Senate of Romania
The Standing Bureau of the Senate consists of the President of the Senate, four vice-presidents, four secretaries, and four quaestors. The President of the Standing Bureau also serves as the President of the Senate. The President is elected, by secret ballot, for the duration of the legislative...
of the Romanian Senate. It consists of the President of the Senate
President of the Senate of Romania
The President of the Senate of Romania is the senator elected to preside over the Senate meetings. He is also the president of the Standing Bureau of the Senate, and the second leader of the State.-Election:...
, four vice-presidents, four secretaries, and four quaestors. The President of the Standing Bureau also serves as the President of the Senate. The President is elected, by secret ballot, for the duration of the legislative period.
South Africa
The Senate of South AfricaSenate of South Africa
The Senate was the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa between 1910 and its abolition from 1 January 1981, and between 1994 and 1997.-1910-1981:...
was the upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of Parliament
Parliament of South Africa
The Parliament of South Africa is South Africa's legislature and under the country's current Constitution is composed of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces....
between 1910 and 1981, and between 1994 and 1997. During both periods, the Senate was led by a President.
- For a listing, see: Senate of South Africa#Presidents of the Senate of South Africa (1910-1980) and (1994-1997)
Sri Lanka
he Senate of CeylonSenate of Ceylon
The Senate of Ceylon was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed/indirectly elected rather than directly elected. The Senate was housed in the old Legislative Council building in Colombo Fort and met for the first time...
was the upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of Parliament
Parliament of Sri Lanka
The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...
between 1947 and 1971. During this periods, the Senate was led by a President
President of the Senate of Ceylon
The President of the Senate of Ceylon, was the presiding officer and the highest ranking-official of the Senate of Ceylon.-List of Senate Presidents:...
.
Trinidad and Tobago
The PresidentPresident of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago
The President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is generally elected from the government benches. He or she chairs debates in the chamber and stands in for the country's president during periods of absence or illness . A Vice-President of the Senate is also elected from among the senators...
of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago
Senate of Trinidad and Tobago
The Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is the appointed Upper House of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. The Senate sits in the Red House in Port of Spain...
, who is generally elected from the government benches, chairs debates in the chamber and stands in for the country's president
President of Trinidad and Tobago
The President of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago, and the commander in chief of its armed forces. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976, before which the head of state was Queen Elizabeth II...
during periods of absence or illness (Constitution, section 27). A Vice-President of the Senate is also elected from among the senators. The current President of the Senate is Roger Hamel-Smith.
United States
While vice presidents used to regularly preside over the Senate, modern vice presidents have done so only rarely—vice presidents usually only preside to swear in new senators, during joint sessions, and when casting a tie-breaking vote. The Senate chooses a president pro tempore to preside in the vice president's absence. Modern presidents pro tempore, too, rarely preside over the Senate. In practice, the junior senators of the majority party typically preside in order to learn Senate procedure.The current Vice President of the United States and President of the United States Senate is Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
.
Only twice in U.S. history has the Vice President been from a different political party from that of the President, namely when Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
was vice president under Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
was vice president under Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
; a situation that in part prompted the later adoption of the Twelfth Amendment
Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides the procedure for electing the President and Vice President. It replaced Article II, Section 1, Clause 3, which provided the original procedure by which the Electoral College functioned. Problems with the original procedure arose in...
to prevent such a situation from reoccurring.
The vice president holds a tie-breaking (or "casting
Casting vote
A casting vote is a vote given to the presiding officer of a council or legislative body to resolve a deadlock and which can be exercised only when such a deadlock exists...
") vote in the Senate. Vice presidents have cast 242 tie-breaking votes
United States Vice Presidents' tie-breaking votes
The Vice President of the United States is the ex-officio President of the United States Senate, as provided in Article I, Section 3, Clause 4 of the United States Constitution:...
. The vice president with the most tie breaking votes is John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
with 29.
U.S. state senates
In state governments of the United StatesState governments of the United States
State governments in the United States are those republics formed by citizens in the jurisdiction thereof as provided by the United States Constitution; with the original 13 States forming the first Articles of Confederation, and later the aforementioned Constitution. Within the U.S...
, the presiding officer of the state senate (the upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
) is a matter decided by the state's constitution. Some states designate the lieutenant governor as president of the senate, while in other states, the Senate elects its own president. The Tennessee Senate
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the Tennessee state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.The Tennessee Senate, according to the state constitution of 1870, is composed of 33 members, one-third the size of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Senators...
elects a senator Speaker of the Senate
Speaker of the Senate
Speaker of the Senate is a title given to the presiding officer of the Senate in a small number of jurisdictions and mainly amongst English-speaking countries.*The Speaker of the Canadian Senate presides over the Senate of Canada....
, who is given the title of Lieutenant Governor.
Similarly, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
has no lieutenant governor, but the state senate elects a president who is the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
lieutenant governor, given that in the event of the governor's death, resignation, or inability to serve, the president of the senate acts as governor until the vacancy is filled. New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
previously used the same system, but with the important proviso that the Senate president continued to serve in that position while also serving as acting governor. After Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
resigned as governor, Donald DiFrancesco
Donald DiFrancesco
Donald Thomas DiFrancesco was the 51st Governor of New Jersey from 2001 to 2002 by virtue of his status as President of the New Jersey Senate, the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature....
spent nearly a year as acting governor. As a result of his tenure, questions were raised about the propriety of such a system, particularly with regard to separation of powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
-related issues. A constitutional amendment was enacted in 2005 to create the office of lieuteant governor
Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is a position that has existed since January 2010, following conjoint election with the Governor of New Jersey. The position was created as the result of a Constitutional amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution passed by the voters on November 8, 2005...
effective at the 2009 election
New Jersey elections, 2009
The following offices were up for election in the United States State of New Jersey in the general election on November 3, 2009:*Two statewide offices – Governor of New Jersey and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey – for four-year terms....
.
Uruguay
The Vice President of UruguayVice President of Uruguay
-List of Vice Presidents of Uruguay:Parties: Colorado Party, National Party, Frente Amplio-History of the office:The office of Vice President of Uruguay dates from 1934 ....
presides over the country's 30-member Senate
Senate of Uruguay
The Chamber of Senators is the upper house of the General Assembly of Uruguay. The Chamber has 30 members elected for a five year term by proportional representation; the vice-president of Uruguay presides over the chamber's sessions...
.