The president of the Senate is the highest authority of the Senate of Spain, the upper house of the Cortes Generales, the legislative branch of Spain. The President is elected by and among the incumbent senators.
The office was established in 1834 by the Royal Statue which structured the legislature as a bicameral parliament with an upper house called House of Peers, formed by high clerics, grandees, other nobles and relevant members of the civil society. The current name of the upper house is Senate since 1837 and is currently regulated in Part III, Section 69 of the Constitution of 1978 which establishes a chamber with two kind of members: popular-elected senators and senators designated by regional legislatures.
In its almost two centuries of history, the Senate has not been always active. Between August 1836 and November 1837 the upper house was suppressed because of a revolt against the conservative government of the Queen Regent which forced her to reinstate the Constitution of 1812. In late 1837, a new Constitution was passed and the political stability restored. The next suppression happened in 1873, after the abdication of King Amadeo I, and was reestablished in 1877 when the Constitution of 1876 was passed.
Under the protection of this last constitution, there was the longest period of stability that lasted until the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera in 1923, which established a unicameral parliament. After the end of the dictatorship and the end of the Reign of Alfonso XIII, the Second Republic did not recover the upper house and maintained the unicameral parliament, thing that also did the dictator Francisco Franco. With the recovery of democracy, in 1977 the bicameral parliament was reestablished.
Since its creation in 1834, 44 people have served as president in 63 presidencies. The first president was the Duke of Bailén who served for 60 days before resigning. The shortest presidency was that of the Marquess of Miraflores which was president briefly between August 3 and August 12, 1836 and the longest was that of Javier Rojo serving 7 years, 8 months and 10 days. Many presidents have served in non-consecutive terms in office; The Marquess of Miraflores and Eugenio Montero Ríos served in five non-consecutive terms. The first woman who have served as president was Esperanza Aguirre, between 1999 and 2002. The current and 63rd President is Pedro Rollán, senator representing Madrid. [1]
Presidency | Name | Start | End | Party | Election | Refs. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign of Isabella II under the Regency of Maria Christina of Bourbon (1833-1840) | ||||||||
1st | The Duke of Bailén | 17 July 1834 | 15 September 1834 | Independent | Royal Prerogative (Royal Statue of 1834 § 12) | [2] [3] | ||
2nd | The Duke of Ahumada | 15 September 1834 | 30 May 1835 | Independent | [3] [4] | |||
3rd | Pedro González Vallejo Archbishop-elect of Toledo | 10 October 1835 | 23 May 1836 | Independent | [5] [6] [7] [8] | |||
4th | The Marquess of Miraflores | 3 August 1836 | 12 August 1836 | Moderate | [9] [10] | |||
The House of Peers was suppressed during 1836 and 1837 | ||||||||
Presidency | Name | Start | End | Party | Election | Refs. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign of Isabella II under the Regency of Maria Christina of Bourbon (1833-1840) | ||||||||
5th | The Count of Fontao | 18 November 1837 | 11 October 1840 | Moderate | Royal Prerogative (Constitution of 1837 § 31) | [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] | ||
Reign of Isabella II under the Regency of Baldomero Espartero (1840-1843) | ||||||||
6th | The Count of Almodóvar | 5 March 1841 | 31 May 1842 | Progressive | Royal Prerogative (Constitution of 1837 § 31) | [19] [20] [21] [22] | ||
7th | Álvaro Gómez Becerra | 22 June 1842 | 19 May 1843 | Progressive | [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] | |||
Reign of Isabella II (Queen's coming of age) (1843-1868) | ||||||||
8th | Mauricio Carlos de Onís | 14 October 1843 | 4 July 1844 | Progressive | Provisional Government | [29] [30] | ||
9th | The Count of Fontao | 2 October 1844 | 28 July 1845 | Moderate | Royal Prerogative (Constitution of 1837 § 31) | [31] [32] | ||
10th | The Marquess of Miraflores | 5 November 1845 | 30 October 1846 | Moderate | Royal Prerogative (Constitution of 1845 § 30) | [33] [34] | ||
11th | The Marquess of Viluma | 29 December 1846 | 5 October 1847 | Moderate | [35] [36] | |||
12th | The Marquess of Miraflores | 6 November 1847 | 6 April 1851 | Moderate | [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] | |||
13th | The Marquess of Viluma | 27 May 1851 | 7 January 1852 | Moderate | [44] [45] | |||
14th | The Marquess of Miraflores | 21 November 1852 | 2 December 1852 | Moderate | [46] [47] | |||
15th | Joaquín Ezpeleta Enrile | 12 February 1853 | 9 April 1853 | Moderate | [48] [49] | |||
16th | The Marquess of Viluma | 18 November 1853 | 16 July 1857 | Moderate | [50] [51] [52] | |||
17th | Francisco Javier de Istúriz | 30 January 1858 | 11 September 1858 | Moderate | [53] [49] | |||
18th | The Marquess of Duero | 20 November 1858 | 10 October 1865 | Moderate | [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] | |||
19th | The Duke of la Torre | 12 December 1865 | 30 December 1866 | Liberal Union | [66] [67] | |||
20th | The Marquess of Miraflores | 19 March 1867 | 6 December 1868 | Moderate | [68] [69] [70] [71] | |||
Reign of Amadeo I (1871-1873) | ||||||||
21st | Francisco Santa Cruz Pacheco | 4 April 1871 | 28 June 1872 | Constitutional | Chosen by the House (Constitution of 1869 § 46) | [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] | ||
22nd | Laureano Figuerola | 18 September 1872 | 11 February 1873 | Constitutional | [78] [79] | |||
The Senate was suppressed during 1873 and 1877 | ||||||||
Reign of Alfonso XII (1875-1885) | ||||||||
23rd | Manuel García Barzanallana | 24 April 1877 | 25 June 1881 | Conservador | Royal Prerogative (Constitution of 1876 § 36) | [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] | ||
24th | The Marquess of La Habana | 18 September 1881 | 26 July 1883 | Conservador | [90] [91] [92] [93] | |||
25th | The Duke of la Torre | 12 December 1883 | 31 March 1884 | Dynastic Left | [94] [95] | |||
26th | The Count of Puñonrrostro | 16 May 1884 | 11 July 1885 | Conservador | [96] [97] | |||
Regency of Maria Christina of Austria (1885-1902) | ||||||||
27th | Arsenio Martínez Campos | 23 December 1885 | 8 March 1886 | Liberal | Royal Prerogative (Constitution of 1876 § 36) | [98] [99] | ||
28th | The Marquess of La Habana | 8 May 1886 | 29 December 1890 | Conservador | [100] [101] [102] [103] [104] [105] [106] [107] [108] [109] | |||
29th | Arsenio Martínez Campos | 27 February 1891 | 4 February 1893 | Liberal | [110] [111] | |||
30th | The Marquess of La Habana | 3 April 1893 | 16 October 1894 | Conservador | [112] [113] | |||
31st | Eugenio Montero Ríos | 10 November 1894 | 28 February 1896 | Liberal | [114] [115] | |||
32nd | José Elduayen Gorriti | 7 May 1896 | 26 February 1898 | Conservador | [116] [117] | |||
33rd | Eugenio Montero Ríos | 18 April 1898 | 16 March 1899 | Liberal | [118] [119] | |||
34th | Arsenio Martínez Campos | 30 May 1899 | 23 September 1900 / 18 October 1900 | Liberal | [120] [121] [122] | |||
35th | Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero | 18 October 1900 | 8 November 1900 | Conservador | [123] [124] | |||
36th | The Count of Tejada de Valdosera | 8 November 1900 | 24 April 1901 | Conservador | [125] [126] | |||
37th | Eugenio Montero Ríos | 8 June 1901 | 26 March 1903 | Liberal | [127] [128] | |||
Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931) | ||||||||
37th | Eugenio Montero Ríos | 8 June 1901 | 26 March 1903 | Liberal | Royal Prerogative (Constitution of 1876 § 36) | [129] | ||
38th | Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero | 15 May 1903 | 16 December 1904 | Conservador | [130] [131] [132] [133] | |||
39th | The Marquess of Pidal | 19 December 1904 | 17 August 1905 | Conservador | [134] [135] | |||
40th | José López Domínguez | 9 October 1905 | 6 July 1906 | Liberal | [136] [137] | |||
41st | Eugenio Montero Ríos | 17 September 1906 | 30 March 1907 | Liberal | [138] [139] | |||
42nd | Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero | 10 May 1907 | 14 April 1910 | Conservador | [140] [141] [142] [143] [144] [145] | |||
43rd | Eugenio Montero Ríos | 9 June 1910 | 11 June 1913 | Liberal | [146] [147] [148] [149] | |||
44th | Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero | 8 November 1913 | 30 May 1915 | Conservador | [150] [151] [152] [153] | |||
45th | Joaquín Sánchez de Toca | 25 June 1915 | 16 March 1916 | Conservador | [154] [155] [156] [157] | |||
46th | The Marquess of Alhucemas | 6 May 1916 | 19 April 1917 | Liberal | [158] [159] [160] [161] | |||
47th | Alejandro Groizard | 31 May 1917 | 2 May 1919 | Liberal | [162] [163] [164] [165] | |||
48th | Manuel Allendesalazar Muñoz | 23 June 1919 | 15 December 1919 | Conservador | [166] [167] | |||
49th | Joaquín Sánchez de Toca | 15 December 1919 | >6 April 1923 | Conservador | [168] [169] [170] [171] [172] [173] | |||
50th | The Count of Romanones | 26 May 1923 | 13 November 1923 | Liberal | [174] [175] | |||
The Senate was suppressed during 1923 and 1977 | ||||||||
Presidency | Name | Start | End | Party | Election | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign of Juan Carlos I (1975-2014) | ||||||||
51st | Antonio Fontán | 15 June 1977 | 26 March 1979 | UCD | Chosen by the House (Constitution of 1978 § 72) | 132 votes [176] | ||
52nd | Cecilio Valverde | 27 March 1979 | 17 November 1982 | UCD | 122 votes [177] | |||
53rd | José Federico de Carvajal | 18 November 1982 | 20 November 1989 | PSOE | 158 votes [178] 235 votes [179] | |||
54th | Juan José Laborda | 21 November 1989 | 26 March 1996 | PSOE | 144 votes [180] 137 votes [181] | |||
55th | Juan Ignacio Barrero | 27 March 1996 | 9 February 1999 | PP | 238 votes [182] [183] | |||
56th | Esperanza Aguirre | 9 February 1999 | 17 October 2002 | PP | 223 votes [183] [184] | |||
57th | Juan José Lucas | 22 October 2002 | 1 April 2004 | PP | 155 votes [185] 151 votes [186] | |||
58th | Javier Rojo | 2 April 2004 | 12 December 2011 | PSOE | 128 votes [187] 134 votes [188] | |||
59th | The Count of Badarán | 13 December 2011 | 20 May 2019 | PP | 180 votes [189] | |||
Reign of Felipe VI (2014-) | ||||||||
59th | The Count of Badarán | 13 December 2011 | 20 May 2019 | PP | Chosen by the House (Constitution of 1978 § 72) | 180 votes [189] 144 votes [190] 151 votes [191] | ||
60th | Manuel Cruz | 21 May 2019 | 2 December 2019 | PSOE | 140 votes [192] | |||
61st | Pilar Llop | 3 December 2019 | 8 July 2021 | PSOE | 130 votes [193] | |||
- | Cristina Narbona (acting) | 8 July 2021 | 12 July 2021 | PSOE | - | |||
62nd | Ander Gil | 12 July 2021 | 16 August 2023 | PSOE | 132 votes [194] | |||
63rd | Pedro Rollán | 17 August 2023 | Incumbent | PP | 142 votes [1] |
The 1923 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 29 April and on Sunday, 13 May 1923, to elect the 19th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1920 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 19 December 1920 and on Sunday, 2 January 1921, to elect the 19th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1919 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 1 June and on Sunday, 15 June 1919, to elect the 18th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1918 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 24 February and on Sunday, 10 March 1918, to elect the 17th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1916 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 9 April and on Sunday, 23 April 1916, to elect the 16th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1914 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 8 March and on Sunday, 22 March 1914, to elect the 15th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 408 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1910 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 8 May and on Sunday, 22 May 1910, to elect the 14th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 404 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1905 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 10 September and on Sunday, 24 September 1905, to elect the 12th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 404 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1901 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 19 May and on Sunday, 2 June 1901, to elect the 10th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 402 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1898 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 27 March and on Sunday, 10 April 1898, to elect the 8th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 445 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1896 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 12 April and on Sunday, 26 April 1896, to elect the 7th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 445 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1893 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 5 March and on Sunday, 19 March 1893, to elect the 6th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 442 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
The 1891 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 1 February and on Sunday, 15 February 1891, to elect the 5th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 442 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate. Following a 1890 reform of the electoral law that saw a change from the previous censitary suffrage to a universal manhood suffrage, the electorate was extended to about 27.3% of the country's population.
The 1886 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 4 April and on Sunday, 25 April 1886, to elect the 4th Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 434 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate. The electorate comprised about 4.6% of the country's population.
The 1884 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 27 April and on Thursday, 8 May 1884, to elect the 3rd Cortes of the Kingdom of Spain in the Restoration period. All 433 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
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Isabel Rodríguez García is a Spanish politician of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), serving as minister of Housing and Urban Agenda since 2023.
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