Imperial Senate of the Empire of the United Cygnian States | |
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53rd Imperial Congress of Cygnia | |
Seal of the Imperial Senate | |
Type | |
Type | Upper house of the Imperial Congress of Cygnia |
Leadership | |
President | Sue Lines, DLP since 30 September 2016 |
Leader of the Government | Penny Wong, DLP since 23 January 2011 |
Leader of the Opposition | Eric Abetz, NUP since 23 January 2015 |
Government Whip | Anne Urquhart, DLP since 23 January 2015 |
Opposition Whip | David Bushby, NUP since 23 January 2015 |
History | |
Established | 3 July 1793 |
Structure | |
Members | 84 |
Political groups | Government (48) DLP (49) Opposition (31) NUP (31) Crossbenchers (4) Greens (2) Liberal (1) |
Election | |
Voting system | Single transferable vote |
Last election | 6 November 2014 |
Next election | 6 November 2018 |
Meeting place | |
Senate Chamber Federation Hall, Swanstone |
The Imperial Senate of the Empire of the United Cygnian States is a legislative chamber in the bicameral legislature of Cygnia, and together with the House of Representatives makes up the Imperial Congress.
The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article I of the Cygnian Imperial Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution. Each state, regardless of population, is represented by four senators who serve eight-year terms each; each territory, including the Imperial City of Swanstone, is entitled to two senators each. Elections are held every four years, when half of the Senate is dissolved. The Senate chamber is located in the west wing of Federation Hall in Swanstone. The House of Representatives convenes in the east wing of the same building.
The Senate has several advice and consent powers not granted to the House, including consenting to treaties as a precondition to their ratification and consenting to or confirming appointments of Cabinet secretaries, federal judges, other federal executive officials, military officers, regulatory officials, ambassadors and other federal uniformed officers, as well as the trial of federal officials impeached by the House.
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