President of the Senate of Spain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Senate
Coat of Arms of the Senate of Spain
Incumbent Pedro Rollán since 17 August 2023
Senate of Spain
Style	The Most Excellent
Seat	Palacio del Senado, Madrid
Appointer	Senate
Term length	Four years, renewable
Constituting instrument	Spanish Constitution
Formation	16 April 1834; 191 years ago (1834-04-16)
First holder	Francisco Javier Castaños, 1st Duke of Bailén
Deputy	Vice Presidents
Salary	€177,000 annually

The President of the Senate is like the main leader or "speaker" of the Spanish Senate. The Senate is the upper part of Spain's parliament, called the Cortes Generales. This person is very important, ranking fourth in the country. They are behind the King (who is the Head of State), the Prime Minister (who leads the government), and the President of the Congress of Deputies (who leads the other part of parliament).

Senators choose the President from among themselves. If the President cannot do their job, the Vice Presidents of the Senate step in. Even though the President of the Senate shares the job of representing the parliament with the President of the Congress, the Congress President usually has more power. This is because Spain's parliament works in a way that gives the Congress more importance.

The current job of President of the Senate started with the 1978 Constitution. However, this role has a history of almost 200 years. It began in 1834 and was first called the President of the House of Peers.

As of the 15th term of the Cortes Generales, the current President is Pedro Rollán. He is a member of the Popular Parliamentary Group and represents Madrid.

What the President of the Senate Does

The President of the Senate of Spain has many important duties. Here are some of them:

• They are the main speaker of the Senate and represent it at all official events.
• They call and lead the Senate's main meetings.
• They make sure discussions stay in order and guide debates.
• They also call and lead meetings of the Senate Bureau.
• They can call and lead any Senate Committee meeting whenever they think it's needed.
• They announce what topics will be discussed in the Senate's main meetings.
• They keep in touch with the central government and other important officials.
• They sign official messages from the Senate, along with one of the Secretaries.
• They explain the Senate's rules.
• They can fill in any gaps in the rules, working with the Rules Committee.
• They make sure everyone follows the rules and shows proper respect in parliament.
• They put in place rules about how members should behave.
• The President also does other jobs given to them by the Constitution, laws, and Senate rules.

How the President is Chosen

The President of the Senate is chosen during a special meeting after a general election. They can also be chosen if the current President resigns.

Voting for the President

To become President, a candidate needs more than half of the votes (an absolute majority) in the Senate. If no one gets an absolute majority in the first vote, a second vote happens right away. In the second vote, a candidate only needs a simple majority (more "yes" votes than "no" votes). Each senator can write any name they want on their ballot. However, senators from the main party usually vote for a candidate chosen by their party.

When the President's Term Ends

A President's term ends if they pass away, resign, stop being a senator, or if the Senate is dissolved before a new general election.

Vice Presidents of the Senate

The Senate has two Vice Presidents. They are chosen during the same meeting where the President is elected. The Vice Presidents do not need an absolute majority of votes. They are elected in one vote, and the two candidates with the most votes win.

The main job of the Vice Presidents is to take over for the President if the President is absent, unable to work, or if the position is empty.

Order	Name		Term start	Group
1st		Javier Maroto	17 August 2023		People's Group in the Senate
2nd		Guillermo Fernández Vara	17 August 2023		Socialist Parliamentary Group

Past Presidents of the Senate

Since the Senate's creation in 1834, 44 different people have served as President, holding the position 63 times. The very first President was the Duke of Bailén, who served for 60 days before stepping down.

The shortest time anyone served as President was the Marquess of Miraflores, who was President for only nine days in August 1836. The longest-serving President was Javier Rojo, who held the position for 7 years, 8 months, and 10 days.

Many Presidents have served more than once, but not in a row. The Marquess of Miraflores and Eugenio Montero Ríos both served five separate times. The first woman to be President was Esperanza Aguirre, who served from 1999 to 2002. The current and 63rd President is Pedro Rollán.

See also

In Spanish: Presidente del Senado de España para niños