Source: http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2294.htm
Timestamp: 2019-01-20 05:58:51
Document Index: 217621831

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 67', 'Art. 79', 'Art. 69', 'Art. 99', 'Art. 78', 'Art. 70', 'Art. 70', 'Art. 71', 'Art. 71', 'Art. 67', 'Art. 71', 'Art. 71', 'Art. 71']

﻿ IPU PARLINE database: SPAIN (Senado), Full text
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Parliament name (generic / translated) Las Cortes Generales / The Cortes
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Congreso de los Diputados / Congress of Deputies
President Pío García-Escudero Márquez (M)
Notes Elected on 13 Dec. 2011, re-elected on 13 Jan. 2016, on 19 July 2016.
Secretary General Manuel Cavero (M)
Members (statutory / current number) 266 / 266 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN
Women (current number) 101 (37.97%)
Mode of designation directly elected 208
indirectly elected 58
Notes Indirectly elected members: elected by the parliaments of the 17 Autonomous Communities.
Last renewal dates 26 June 2016
Address Senado
Phone (34 91) 542 96 14
Electoral law 16 June 1985
Last amendment: 8 September 2011
Constituencies - directly elected Senators: 59 multi-member constituencies corresponding to the country's provinces, plus Ceuta and Melilla. The provinces elect 4 Senators each. In the case of insular provinces, major islands elect 3 Senators each while small islands elect 1 Senator each. The autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla elect 2 Senators each.
- indirectly elected Senators: each of the 17 Autonomous Communities return one Senator, plus one more for each 1,000,000 inhabitants, chosen by the legislative assembly of each Community.
- directly elected Senators: simple majority vote. Lists compiled at provincial level.
- indirectly elected Senators: elected by the legislative assemblies of the Autonomous Communities, according to their own rules of procedure, on proportional basis.
Vacancies are filled by substitutes elected at the same time as titular members.
- Spanish citizenship
Incompatibilities - certain high-ranking government, political and public posts
- membership of an electoral committee (junta)
Candidacy requirements - directly elected Senators:
candidatures submitted by duly registered political associations and federations, coalitions of the same, or by at least 0.1% (and no fewer than 500) of the constituency's registered electorate
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 26 June 2016
Timing and scope of renewal These snap elections were held just six months after the previous polls. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's People's Party (PP) won more seats in both chambers but failed to win an outright majority. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), led by Mr. Pedro Sánchez, remained the second-largest party, but lost seats. Ciudadanos ("Citizens"), led by Mr. Alberto Rivera, also lost seats but remained the third-largest party. Mr. Pablo Iglesias' Podemos ("We Can") had formed an electoral alliance, Unidos Podemos ("United We Can" - see note). It won more seats, but not as many as pre-election polls had predicted.
Date of previous elections: 20 December 2015
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 3 May 2016
Expected date of next elections: July - August 2020*
*Elections shall take place between thirty and sixty days after the end of the previous term of office.
Number of seats at stake: 208 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 1,317 (761 men, 556 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 42.2%
Number of parties contesting the election: 48
*Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's People's Party governed the country until December 2015.
No government was formed following the 2015 elections and snap elections were held in June 2016.
Mr. Rajoy and his party formed a minority government in October 2016.
Names of parties in government: People's Party (PP)
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 19 July 2016
Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Pío García-Escudero Márquez (People's Party, PP)
Round no 1 26 June 2016
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) - CATALUNYA SÍERC-CATSI
Podemos ("We Can") - IU (United Left) - EQUO
Commitment coalition (PODEMOS-ÉS EL MOMENTPODEMOS, COMPROMIS)
Canarian Coalition - Canarian Nationalist Party (CC - PNC)
"En Marea" coalition (Podemos-En Marea-Anova-EU)
People's Party (PP) 130
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 43
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) - CATALUNYA SÍERC-CATSI 10
Podemos ("We Can") - IU (United Left) - EQUO 8
Commitment coalition (PODEMOS-ÉS EL MOMENTPODEMOS, COMPROMIS) 3
Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) 2
Canarian Coalition - Canarian Nationalist Party (CC - PNC) 1
"En Marea" coalition (Podemos-En Marea-Anova-EU) 1
Percent of women 162
Eighty-three women were directly elected and 18 others were indirectly elected.
IPU Group (21.07.2016)
Appointment - elected by all Senators at the first sitting of the newly elected Senate on 27/3/1996
Eligibility - any Senator may be a candidate, but formal notification of candidature is required
- absolute majority required in the first round, in the second round only the 2 candidates with the most votes are left, and election is by a majority of votes cast
Procedures / results - the Seniority Board and the oldest Senator presides over the Senate during the voting
- the secretaries of the Seniority Board assisted by the parliamentary advisors supervise the voting
- a secretary announces the results without delay
Status - ranks fourth in the hierarchy of the State
- ranks after the President of the Congress of Deputies in the order of precedence
- represents the Senate with the authorities
- presides ex officio over the Board, the Conferences of Spokesmen and the Standing Deputation
- may, if he or she so wishes, preside over any committee
Board - is regulated by the Standing Orders of the Senate
- consists of the President, two Vice-Presidents and 4 secretaries
- members serve a four-year term
- meets weekly at the President's initiative
- establishes and modifies the agenda, together with the Board
- checks the quorum only at the request of a parliamentary group or 10 Senators
Special powers The Board:
- establishes the budget of the Senate under the guidance of the President
- recruits, assigns and promotes staff, in agreement with the President
- appoints the Clerk, on a proposal by the President
Speaking and voting rights, other functions - may take the floor in legislative debates by leaving his seat
- may intervene in the parliamentary oversight procedure, but has never done so
Nature of the mandate · Free representation (Art. 67 (2) of the Constitution of 29.12.1978, with amendments up to 27.08.1992; see also Art. 79 (3) of the Constitution)
Start of the mandate · When the Senators take the oath (see SO 11 and 12 of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
Validation of mandates · Validation by a final court judgement only in case of challenge ((in)validation of the election or the proclamation as a Senator; causes of ineligibility)
End of the mandate · On the day when the legal term of the House ends - or on the day of early dissolution (Art. 69 (6) of the Constitution, SO 18 (e) of the Standing Orders of the Senate; for possibilities of dissolution see Art. 99 (5) and 115 of the Constitution). The Permanent Deputation, however, continues to exercise its functions, on the expiration of the mandate or in case of dissolution, until the constitution of a new Parliament (Art. 78 (3) of the Constitution, SO 45 (3) of the Standing Orders of the Senate).
Can MPs resign? Yes · Yes, of their own free will (see also SO 18 (g) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
· Procedure: the Senator must submit his resignation to the Board of the Senate.
· Authority competent to accept the resignation: the Board of the Senate
Can MPs lose their mandate ? Yes (a)	Revocation before expiry of mandate, in the case of appointed Senators, by the legislative Assemblies or the superior collective bodies of the Self-Governing Communities (SO 18 (f) of the Standing Orders of the Senate): when it is so decided and following a communication by those organs
(b)	Definitive exclusion from Parliament by the latter:
- Loss of the general conditions for eligibility (SO 18 (d) of the Standing Orders of the Senate, Art. 70 of the Constitution, S. 6, 7, and 154 of the Representation of the Spanish People Organic Act; see also Causes of ineligibility)
- annulment of the election or the proclamation as a Senator through a final court judgement (SO 18 (a) of the Standing Orders of the Senate; see also Validation of mandates)
- final court judgement involving an absolute or a special incapacity to exercise a public function (SO 18 (b) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
(d)	Loss of mandate for incompatibilities (Art. 70 of the Constitution, SO 15 to 17 of the Standing Orders of the Senate, Supplementary Norm to SO 16 (1) and 17 (3) of the Standing Orders of the Senate of 17.03.1992, S. 6, 7, and 154 to 160 of the Representation of the Spanish People Organic Act). See also Obligation to declare personal assets)
(e)	Death (SO 18 (c) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
2.	The other members of the Board
3.	The Spokesmen of the Parliamentary Groups
4.	The Presidents of committees
Indemnities, facilities and services · Diplomatic passport for the President
· Basic salary (see Art. 71 (4) of the Constitution): Pesetas 403,342/month (US $ 2,680/month)
+ Additional allowance (for living costs in Madrid): US $ 1,500/month
· Pension scheme (SO 24 (2) (3) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
(a)	Secretariat for Members of the Board and Chairmen of committees
(b)	Assistants for Members of the Board
(c)	Official housing and security guards for the President
(d)	Official cars for Members of the Board and Spokesmen of Parliamentary Groups
(f)	Travel and transport (see SO 24 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Senate): free public transport and payment of travel costs
(g)	Others: documentation services, bibliographies, travel agency, bank, restaurant
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary non-accountability · The concept does exist (Art. 71 (1) of the Constitution).
· Parliamentary non-accountability is limited to words spoken or written by MPs and votes cast within Parliament (see also Art. 67 (3) of the Constitution).
· Derogations: offence or insult (SO 101 of the Standing Orders of the Senate; see Discipline)
· Non-accountability takes effect on the day when the mandate begins and offers, after the expiry of the mandate, protection against prosecution for opinions expressed during the exercise of the mandate (SO 21 of the Standing Orders of the Senate).
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary inviolability · The concept does exist (Art. 71 (2) and (3) of the Constitution, SO 22 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Senate).
· It applies only to criminal proceedings, covers all offences and protects MPs from arrest, from being held in preventive custody, and from the opening of judicial proceedings against them. It does not protect them from their homes being searched.
· Derogations: Senators may be detained in case of flagrante delicto. In this case, the Presidency of the Senate has to be informed immediately (SO 22 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Senate).
· Protection is provided from the start to the end of the mandate and also covers judicial proceedings instituted against MPs before their election (SO 22 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Senate).
· Parliamentary immunity (inviolability) can be lifted (Art. 71 (2) of the Constitution, SO 22 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Senate):
- Procedure (Art. 71 (3) of the Constitution, SO 22 (2) to (5) of the Standing Orders of the Senate). In this case, Senators are heard (however, they are not heard on the issue of temporary suspension from the status of Senator). They do not have means of appeal.
- Practical Guide for Senators
- Standing Orders of the Senate
Participation in the work of the Parliament · It is compulsory for MPs to be present at plenary sittings, committee meetings and other meetings (SO 20 of the Standing Orders of the Senate).
· Penalties foreseen in case of failure to fulfil this obligation (SO 23 (2) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
· Body competent to judge such cases/to apply the penalties: the Senate, on the proposal of the Presidency
Discipline · The rules governing discipline within Parliament are contained in SO 22, 23, 37, and 101 to 103 of the Standing Orders of the Senate.
- Warning for irrelevance (SO 103 of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Call to order (SO 101 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Order to leave the sitting (SO 101 (2) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Suspension from exercising parliamentary functions (SO 101 (3) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Deprivation of allowance due to absence (SO 23 (2) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Offence or insult (SO 101 of the Standing Orders of the Senate): call to order; order to leave the sitting; suspension from exercising parliamentary functions
- Prohibition to carry, display or use weapons/assault of another Senator or of a member of Government (SO 102 of the Standing Orders of the Senate): suspension from exercising parliamentary functions; loss of indemnities
- Definitive prosecution of a Senator (SO 22 (6) of the Standing Orders of the Senate): temporary suspension, eventually with deprivation of indemnities
· Competent body to judge such cases/to apply penalties (see also SO 37 (10) of the Standing Orders of the Senate):
- Warning for irrelevance, call to order, suspension from exercising parliamentary functions, offence or insult: the President
- Order to leave the sitting, offence or insult: the President; the Senate
- Deprivation of allowance due to absence: the Senate, on the proposal of the Presidency
- Prohibition to carry, display or use weapons/assault of another Senator or of a member of Government: the Board, the Senate
- Definitive prosecution of a Senator: the Senate
- Call to order/offence or insult (SO 101 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Order to leave the sitting/offence or insult (SO 101 (2) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Suspension from exercising parliamentary functions/offence or insult (SO 101 (3) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Prohibition to carry, display or use weapons/assault of another Senator or of a member of Government (SO 102 of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
- Definitive prosecution of a Senator (SO 22 (6) of the Standing Orders of the Senate)
Code (rules) of conduct · This concept does not exist in the country's juridical system but there are some relevant provisions (SO 17 (1) and (2) of the Standing Orders of the Senate, S. 160 (3) and (4) of the Representation of the Spanish People Organic Act; see Loss of mandate for incompatibilities).
· Penalties foreseen for violation of these provisions: loss of mandate
- Loss of the mandate by law or by decision of the Senator concerned
· Procedure: see Loss of mandate for incompatibilities