Organization of the Senate

THE PRESIDENT

The President of the Senate is elected for three years after each one-third renewal. He represents the Upper House and chairs its deliberations. The Constitution gives him important prerogatives. The President of the Republic must consult him before dissolving the National Assembly or invoking emergency powers under Article 16 of the Constitution. The President of the Senate appoints three of the nine members of the Constitutional Council, to which he may refer any law or treaty which he considers to be contrary to the Constitution.

M. Christian PONCELET, President of theSenate His constitutional function as a replacement for the President of the Republic gives him second position in the State. According to strict protocole, he comes immediately after the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister. If the presidency of the Republic falls vacant for any reason, or if the incumbent is incapacitated, the President of the Senate exercises all the dues of the President of the Republic temporarily until a new election is held. He may not, however, call a referendum, dissolve the National Assembly or initiate a revision of the Constitution.

THE BUREAU
The President chairs the Bureau, whose 22 members take all major decisions concerning the functioning of the Senate. The other 21 members have specific tasks:

the six vice-presidents deputise for the President by chairing public sittings;
the three quaestors are responsible for the management and administration of the Senate;
the twelve secretaries check the propriety of votes taken in public sitting.

The members of the Bureau are elected for three years after each renewal of the Senate.

POLITICAL GROUPS
Senators are divided into groups according to their political affiliations. Each group must have at least 15 members. The groups designate candidates for the Bureau and the committees, take positions on texts submitted to the Senate, and decide what stance their members will adopt in committee or public sitting. Their chairmen have specific powers with regard to the organisation of debates; they decide, in the Conference of Chairmen, on the order of business and are entitled to request public votes, suspension of sittings, etc.

Senators not wishing to join any group form what is known as the administrative meeting of non-aligned senators.

A senator may be a member of a group, allied to that group, or simply administratively attached to it.

Each group has offices in the Senate and a secretariat for whose recruitment it is solely responsible.

For more informations go to http://www.senat.fr