Senate of the Czech Republic

Infobox Legislature
name = Senát Parlamentu České republiky
coa_pic =
session_room = Senat Wallenstein palace Prague 4677.jpg
house_type = Upper house
leader1_type = Speaker
leader1 = Přemysl Sobotka
party1 = (ODS)
election1 = 15 December, 2004
leader2_type =
leader2 =
party2 =
election2 =
leader4_type =
leader4 =
party4 =
election4 = October, 2006
members = 81
p_groups = ODS
ČSSD
KDU-ČSL
SNK ED
KOD
not aligned Senators
election3 = October, 2006
meeting_place = Prague
website = [http://www.senat.cz www.senat.cz]

The Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic ( _cs. Senát Parlamentu České republiky), usually referred to as Senát, is the upper chamber of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Senate is Wallenstein Palace in Prague.

tructure

The Senate has 81 members, elected for six years, every two years one third of them, in one-seat constituencies through two rounds majority system (the second round is between two candidates with highest number of votes from the first round – if no candidate obtains 50+% majority in the first round). Candidate to the Senate does not need to be on a political party's ticket (unlike the lower chamber).

The senate has one President and four Vice-Presidents. [ [http://www.senat.cz/senatori/index.php?lng=en Senators] Senate website] . Its members participate in specialised committees and commissions. [ [http://www.senat.cz/organy/index.php?lng=en&par_1=V Senate Committees] Senat website] [ [http://www.senat.cz/organy/index.php?lng=en&ke_dni=11.05.2006&par_1=M Senate Commissions] Senate website]

The Senate Chancellery has been created to provide professional, organisational and technical services. The Senate occupies several historical palaces in centre of Prague, in Malá Strana quarter. [ [http://www.senat.cz/zajimavosti/palace/index-eng.html Seat of the Senate] Senate website] In 2005 its budget was 561.2 million CZK.

Powers

The Senate can delay a proposed law approved by the Chamber of Deputies but this veto can be overridden by an absolute majority of all members of the Chamber of Deputies (i.e. 101 of 200) in a repeated vote.

Senators have, with others, the right to take part in electing the President of the Republic and the judges of the Constitutional Court, and may propose new laws. However, the Senate does not get to vote on the state budget and is not expected to supervise the executive directly, unlike the Chamber.

The President [Speaker or Chairperson] of the Senate is the second-highest official of the Czech Republic, after President of the Republic, for ceremonial purposes, but without any real power.

History

The Senate was established in constitutional law of the Czech National Council (ČNR) No. 1/1993 on 16 December 1992. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050205145609/http://www.e-politika.cz/bulletin/clanky/wintr01.html Ústavní zmìny v dobì od pádu komunismu] Bulletin Scientia Politica cs icon] . The immediate reason for its creation was a need to find a place for members of the Federal Assembly, dissolved together with Czechoslovakia. Other reasons given were the positioning of the Senate as a safety device ("pojistka") correcting laws endorsed by lower chamber and as a power balancing tool against the dominance of a single party.

Due to opposition by the Civic Democratic Alliance (who had members in ČNR, the new lower chamber, but not in the Federal Assembly) and those politicians fearing dilution of power the Senate was not set up. The first elections were held in 1996, with voter turnout around 35% (much lower than turnout for the lower chamber). Further elections were held in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 with steadily decreasing turnout (the lowest ever was around 10%, in many constituencies below 20%).

Political parties

Senators and members of the Cabinet

Members of the Senate of the Czech Republic include these:
*Jiří Čunek - Chairman of the People's Party, Deputy Prime minister and Minister of Regional development
*Tomáš Julínek - Minister of Health
*Karel Schwarzenberg - Minister of Foreign Affairs
*Alexandr Vondra - former Minister of Foreign Affairs, current Deputy Prime minister for European Affairs

ee also

*List of Presidents of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

References

External links

* [http://www.senat.cz/index-eng.php Official website]
* [http://www.senat.cz/zajimavosti/bikameralismus-eng.html History and perspective of bicameral system in the Czech Republic]