Argentine Senate
| Argentine National Senate Senado de la Nación Argentina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Vice President of Argentina | |
Provisional President | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 72 (list) |
 | |
Political groups | |
| Elections | |
Last election | 27 October 2013 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
|
Senate Chamber, Argentine Congress Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| Website | |
| www.senado.gov.ar | |
The Argentine Senate (Spanish: Honorable Senado de la Nación Argentina) is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress.
Overview
The National Senate was established by the Argentine Confederation on July 29, 1854, pursuant to Articles 46 to 54 of the 1853 Constitution.[1] There are 72 members: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. The number of senators per province was raised from two to three following the 1994 amendment of the Argentine Constitution, and the change took effect following the May 14, 1995, general elections.
Senators are elected to six-year terms by direct election on a provincial basis, with the party with the most votes being awarded two of the province's senate seats and the second-place party receiving the third seat. Historically, Senators were indirectly elected to nine-year terms by each provincial legislature. These provisions were abrogated by a 1994 constitutional amendment, and direct elections to the Senate took effect in 2001. Currently one-third of the members are elected every two years. One-third of the provinces hold senatorial elections every two years; there are no term limits. The Senate is presided over by the Vice President of the Republic, who has the casting vote in the event of ties.
The Senate must obtain quorum to deliberate, this being an absolute majority. It has the power to approve bills passed by the Chamber of Deputies, call for joint sessions with the Lower House or special sessions with experts and interested parties, and submit bills for the president's signature; bills introduced in the Senate must, in turn, be approved by the Lower House for their submittal to the president. The Senate must introduce any changes to federal revenue sharing policies, ratify international treaties, approve changes to constitutional or federal criminal laws, as well as confirm or impeach presidential nominees to the cabinet, the judiciary, the armed forces, and the diplomatic corps, among other federal posts.[2]
There are twenty-four standing committees made up of fifteen members each, namely:[2]
- Agreements (confirmation of federal nominees)
- Constitutional Affairs
- Foreign Affairs and Worship
- Justice and Criminal Affairs
- General Legislation
- Budget and Finance
- Administrative and Municipal Affairs
- National Defense
- Domestic Security and Drug Trafficking
- National Economy and Investment
- Industry and Trade
- Regional Economies, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
- Labor and Social Security
- Agriculture, Cattle Raising and Fishing
- Education, Culture, Science and Technology
- Rights and Guarantees
- Mining, Energy and Fuels
- Health and Sports
- Infrastructure, Housing and Transport
- Systems, Media and Freedom of Speech
- Environment and Human Development
- Population and Human Development
- Federal Revenue Sharing
- Tourism.
Requirements
According to Section 55 of the Argentine Constitution, candidates for the Argentine Senate must:
- be at least 30 years old
- have been a citizen of Argentina for six years
- be native to the province of his office, or have been a resident of that province for two years.
Composition
- See List of current members of the Argentine Senate
| Political Party |
Seats |
Net Change in seats |
Caucus leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front for Victory | 32 | = | Miguel Ángel Pichetto |
| Radical Civic Union (Broad Front UNEN) | 11 |  3 | Luis Petcoff Naidenoff |
| Federal Peronism | 7 | 4 | Adolfo Rodríguez Saá |
| Republican Proposal (PRO) | 3 |  3 | Gabriela Michetti |
| Córdoba Civic Front (Broad Front UNEN) | 2 | = | Luis Juez |
| Civic and Social Front of Catamarca (Broad Front UNEN) | 2 | = | Oscar Castillo |
| La Pampa Justicialist Party (allied with Front for Victory) | 2 | = | Carlos Verna |
| Neuquén People's Movement (allied with Front for Victory) | 2 | = | Guillermo Pereyra |
| Civic Front for Santiago (allied with Front for Victory) | 2 | 1 | Ada Iturrez de Cappellini |
| Front for Everyone (allied with Front for Victory) | 1 | = | José María Roldán |
| Fueguino People's Movement (allied with Front for Victory) | 1 | = | Jorge Garramuño |
| Santiago del Estero Popular Front (allied with Front for Victory) | 1 | 1 | Gerardo Montenegro |
| ARI Progressive Front (Broad Front UNEN) | 1 | = | María Odarda |
| Generation for a National Encounter (Broad Front UNEN) | 1 | = | Jaime Linares |
| Proyecto Sur (Broad Front UNEN) | 1 | 1 | Fernando Solanas |
| Socialist Party (Broad Front UNEN) | 1 | = | Rubén Giustiniani |
| Production and Labor (allied with PRO) | 1 | 1 | Roberto Basualdo |
| Liberal Party of Corrientes | 1 | = | Josefina Meabe |
| Total | 72 |
- The myriad political parties in Argentina traditionally caucus as alliances. The pro-government Front of Victory (FPV) caucus and allies have 41 votes; FPV allies include the Civic Front for Santiago, New Encounter, Neuquén People's Movement, the Fueguino People's Movement, and the Front for Everyone. The various opposition caucuses have 29 votes in all, the most important alliances among which are: Broad Front UNEN (19), which includes the UCR, Socialist Party, GEN, Proyecto SUR, Liberal Party of Corrientes, and the Catamarca and Córdoba Civic Fronts; Federal Peronists (7); Republican Proposal and an ally (4); and the Liberal Party of Corrientes (1).
2011 election
Senate leadership
The titular President of the Senate is the Vice President of Argentina. Day to day leadership of the Senate is exercised by the Provisional President.
Current leadership positions include:
| Title | Officeholder | Caucus | Province |
|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Amado Boudou | Front for Victory |  Buenos Aires Province |
| Provisional President | Gerardo Zamora | Civic Front for Santiago |  Santiago del Estero |
| Vice President | Juan Carlos Marino | Progressive, Civic and Social Front |  La Pampa |
| First Vice President | Roberto Basualdo | Republican Proposal |  San Juan |
| Second Vice President | Luis Juez | Broad Progressive Front |  Córdoba |
| Parliamentary Secretary | Juan Estrada | ||
| Administrative Secretary | Juan Zabaleta | ||
| Majority Leader | Miguel Ángel Pichetto | Front for Victory |  Río Negro (Argentina) |
| Minority Leader | Luis Petcoff Naidenoff | UCR |  Formosa |
See also
- List of current Argentine senators
- Argentine Chamber of Deputies
- List of former Argentine Senators
- List of legislatures by country
References
- ↑ "Sesiónes preparatorias e incorporación y juramento de los senadores electos". Argentine Senate.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "National Senate Regulations". Argentine Senate.
- ↑ "Bloques Políticos". Honorable Senado de la Nación. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Autoridades". Honorable Senado de la Nación. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
External links
- senado.gov.ar – Senate of Argentina
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