Italian Senate
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Senate of the Republic Senato della Repubblica |
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| Type | |
| Type |
Upper house of the Parliament of Italy
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| Leadership | |
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President of the Senate
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| Structure | |
| Seats | 315 elected senators + 5 senators for life |
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Political groups
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Government (162) Opposition Parties (158) |
| Elections | |
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Last election
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24–25 February 2013 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Palazzo Madama, Rome | |
| Website | |
| http://www.senato.it | |
Government (162)
Opposition Parties (158)
The Senate of the Republic (Italian: Senato della Repubblica) is a house of the bicameral Italian Parliament (the other being the Chamber of Deputies). The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform identical functions, but do so separately. Pursuant to Articles 57, 58, and 59 of the Italian Constitution, the Senate has a variable number of members, of which 309 are elected from Italian constituencies, 6 from Italian citizens living abroad, and a small number (currently 5) are senators for life (senatori a vita), either appointed or ex officio. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno (Senate of the Kingdom), itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino (Subalpine Senate) of Sardinia established on 8 May 1848. Members of the Senate are styled Senator or The Honourable Senator (Italian: Onorevole Senatore) and they meet at Palazzo Madama, Rome.
The Senate consists of 315 elected members, and as of 2016[update] five senators for life. The elected senators must be over 40 years of age and are elected by Italian citizens aged 25 or older.
The Senate (except for six senators who represent Italians residing abroad and the senators for life) is elected on a regional basis. The 309 senators are assigned to each region proportionally according to their population. However, Article 57 of the Constitution provides that no region can have fewer than seven senators representing it, except for the Aosta Valley (which has one) and Molise (which has two).
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