Senate of Chile
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Template:Politics of Chile Image:ChileCongress.jpg The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.
The Senate is composed of thirty-eight directly elected senators, chosen by universal popular suffrage vote in 19 senatorial circumscriptions. These serve eight-year terms, with half of them being replaced every fourth year.
In party distribution, 20 seats are held by the Coalition of Parties for Democracy (CPD): Six Christian Democrats (PDC), eight Socialists (PS), three Party for Democracy (PPD) and three Social Democrat Radical Party (PRSD); 17 by the Alliance for Chile (APC): nine Independent Democrat Union (UDI) and eight National Renewal (RN); and one independent leaning right.
The Senate sessions at the new National Congress located in the port city of Valparaíso, which replaced the old National Congress located in downtown of capital Santiago.
Abolition of the unelected
Amendments to the Constitution, approved by a joint session of Congress on August 16 2005, eliminated non-directly elected senators from March 11 2006, the day 20 newly-elected senators were sworn in, leaving the total number of senators at 38, all directly elected.
Current senators
Senate composition from March 11 2006. The current President of the Senate will serve from 2006 until 2008.