| Senate of the United Cygnian States | |
|---|---|
| 57th Congress of the Union | |
 Seal of the Senate | |
| Type | |
| Type | Upper house of the Cygnian Congress |
| Leadership | |
| President | Sue Lines, DLP since 7 July 2015 |
| 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 | 20 June 1950 |
| Preceded by | House of Lords |
| Structure | |
| Members | 94 |
 | |
| Political groups | HIM Government (49) DLP (49) HIM Most Loyal Opposition (32) NUP (32) Crossbenchers (3) Greens (2) Liberal (1) Independent (10) |
| Election | |
| Voting system | Instant-runoff voting |
| Last election | 6 November 2014 |
| Next election | 6 November 2018 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Senate Chamber Federation Hall, Swanstone | |
The Senate 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 Congress of the Union.
The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the Cygnian Constitution. Each state, regardless of population, is represented by four senators who serve eight-year terms each; the Imperial City of Swanstone is entitled to two. 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 ministerial 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. The Senate furthermore, through the Permanent Senate Committee on Swanstone Affairs, exercises supreme jurisdiction over legislation in Swanstone, and thus is responsible for providing the final approval for bills to become Swanstone laws.
On 16 July 2017, the Governors General of the new States of Bali, Flores, Moluccas, Sumba and Sumbawa each appointed two new Senators to the Senate following their admission to the Federation of Cygnia. These independent Senators will vacate their seats in the 2018 federal elections and full-term Senators will be elected.
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