Italian Senate

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:Politics of Italy The Italian Senate (Italian: Senato della Repubblica, 'Senate of the Republic') is the upper house of the Parliament of Italy. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but it existed during the monarchy as Senato del Regno, ('Senate of the Kingdom'), continuing from the Subalpine Parliament of Piedmont established on 8 May 1848.

The Senate consists of 315 elected members (senatori), elected for a maximum of 5 years, of whom six represent Italians residing overseas. Senators must be 40 or older, and are elected by citizens over 25 years. According to special constitutional provisions, 'life senators' may exist, either former presidents, as ex officio life senators or those appointed by the president "for outstanding merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field". There are currently (as of 2006) seven of them.

Senate members meet at the Palazzo Madama in Rome.

The Senate may be dissolved before the expiration of its normal term by the President of the Republic, when the government loses majority.

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