Senate of Chile
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Senate of the Republic of Chile Senado de la República de Chile | |
|---|---|
| 57th National Congress of Chile | |
 Seal | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| Leadership | |
Vice-President | |
General Secretary | Julio Cámara Oyarzo since 11 March 2026 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 50 |
 | |
Political groups | Government (24)
Supported by (1) Opposition (25)
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Length of term | 8 years |
| Elections | |
| Open list proportional representation | |
Last election | 16 November 2025 |
Next election | 2029 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Senate Chamber, National Congress Building, Valparaíso, Chile | |
| Website | |
| https://www.senado.cl/ | |
.svg) |
|---|
 Chile portal |
33°02′52″S 71°36′21″W / 33.04778°S 71.60583°W
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.
Composition
[edit]According to Article 190 of the present Constitution of Chile, the Senate is composed of fifty directly elected senators, chosen by universal popular suffrage vote in 16 senatorial circumscriptions.[1] These serve eight-year terms, with half of them being replaced every fourth year. They must be eligible to vote, have completed secondary school or its equivalent, and be at least 35 years old. Before a 2005 reform the minimum age was 40 years.[2]
The Senate meets at the new National Congress building located in the port city of Valparaíso that replaced the old National Congress building located in downtown Santiago, the nation's capital.
Abolition of the unelected
[edit]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. Previously, according to the Constitution of 1980, "designated" or "institutional" senators were appointed to the chamber. Two former heads of state, Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle and Augusto Pinochet, were installed as senators for life.[3][4] Pinochet later resigned from this position and Frei lost his seat in the 2005 reform. However, Frei remained in the Senate by winning an elective seat.
Historical evolution
[edit]The Senate of Chile was created in 1812 to support the formulations of policies of the Government Junta. Since then it has undergone several constitutional reorganizations that have altered the scope of its constitutional powers, its composition and the generation of its members.
First senate
[edit]The senate was originally created by Article 7 of the Provisional Constitutional Manual of 1812. It was composed of seven members, who were chosen for three-year terms.[5] Three alternate members were also named. The senate was intended to serve as a counterbalance to the executive power of the Government Junta. The senators were directly nominated by the provinces in agreement with the central government. It functioned from November, 1812 to January, 1814, when it was reorganized to better respond to the problems caused by the successive military defeats at the hands of the advancing Spanish Army.
Consultative senate
[edit]A revised senate was created by Article 13 of the Provisional Government Manual of 1814. Like the previous senate, it consisted of seven members, elected to two-year terms.[6] The members were nominated by the provinces in lists of three from which they were selected by the Supreme Director. It functioned from March to July, 1814, when the Spanish Army captured Santiago, putting an end to the Patria Vieja government.
First conservative senate
[edit]Created by Title III of the Constitution of 1818. It was composed of five titular members and five alternate members selected directly by the Supreme Director. It was supposed to function only when the lower house was not in function or could not meet, and had the power to enact "provisory rules" that had the same effect as laws (hence the "conservative" moniker, because it "conserved" the power.) It functioned from October, 1818 to May, 1822.
Current composition Senate of Chile
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See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Bibilioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. "Ley Chile, Articulo 190". www.bcn.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 September 2026.
- ↑ Bibilioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. "Elecciones parlamentarias". www.bcn.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 September 2026.
- ↑ "Bajo Críticas Opositoras, Asume Frei en el Senado" [Amid opposition criticism, Frei takes office in the Senate]. El Mercurio (in Spanish). March 21, 2000. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ↑ "Enough of Pinochet". The Economist. Associated Press. January 8, 1998.
- ↑ "Reglamento constitucional provisorio sancionado en 26 de octubre de 1812" [Provisional constitutional regulations sanctioned on October 26, 1812] (in Spanish).
- ↑ "El reglamento para el gobierno provisorio sancionado en 17 de marzo de 1814" [The regulations for the provisional government sanctioned on March 17, 1814] (in Spanish).
