Senate (New Virginia)
Senate | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | Upper |
History | |
Founded | 20 August 2020 |
Leadership | |
President of the Senate | Vacant, IND since 2 August 2021 |
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of New Virginia. It is comprised of ordinary and extraordinary senators who hold office by appointment and ex officio, respectively. Senators serve for life with the possibility for resignation or removal. The Senate is presided over and represented by its President.
Etymology
The New Virginian Senate is named for the Senate of Austenasia, the nation which the Commonwealth seceded from in February 2020. The name was chosen to pay homage to the Senate's Austenasian counterpart in acknowledgement of the similar responsibilities shared between them.
Culture
The Senate is considered to be a representation of the Austenasian Roman cultural heritage in New Virginia, given its second-ranking members being Consuls and its stricter admission requirements in comparison with the House of Burgesses. The Senate also differs from the House in its methods of procedure; for example, the Senate takes votes in the traditional "aye/no/present" format whereas the House uses the Austenasian House of Representatives's "support/oppose/abstain" style.
History
The Senate was established with the enactment of the Constitution of New Virginia on 31 July 2020, however it not assembled until the first general election for burgesses was held three weeks late on 22 August 2020.
Powers
The Senate is typically understood as the upper house of the New Virginian Parliament, with vast constitutional and accountability-ensuring responsibilities and judicial oversight. The Senate has various powers under the Constitution and the law, including:
- The power to interpret the Constitution.
- The power to declare bills or Acts of Parliament repugnant to the Constitution, but only to the extent of their repugnancy, by simple majority vote.
- The power to render advice to the President by means of a Senatorial Resolution by simple majority vote.
- The power to remove an impeached President from office by a vote of at least seventy five percent.
- The power to forbid a person removed from the Presidency from standing for any public office for a period of time at their discretion by simple majority vote.
- The power to enact a Senatorial Act with the same status as an Act of Parliament by means of a simple majority vote during periods where the House is dissolved pending a general election.
- The power to authorize a referendum to amend the Constitution following its passage by the House.
Composition
The Senate is comprised of ordinary and extraordinary senators. Ordinary senators are appointed by the President with the consent of the House of Burgesses. Extraordinary senators are Presidents emeritus, former Prime Ministers and former Speakers of the House who are invited by the President to serve. There can be no fewer than three and no more than seven ordinary senators at any given time, while there are no limits on how many extraordinary senators may concurrently serve. At present, there are three ordinary and two extraordinary senators.
Portrait | Name | Classification | Appointed by/ qualifying office |
Other offices | In office since |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sir Adam von Friedeck SKSM |
Ordinary | President Hewitt | Consul (2020 - ) | 22 August 2020 | |
Anthony Clark MSM |
Ordinary | President Hewitt | Attorney General (2020 - ) | 29 October 2020 | |
Jacob Valentine |
Ordinary | President Hewitt | 29 October 2020 | ||
Her Honour Senator Dame Elizabeth Lewis DGCSM DNVI |
Extraordinary | Former Prime Minister | 24 May 2021 | ||
Her Honour Senator Dame Vera Hewitt DNVI President Emerita |
Extraordinary | President emerita | 2 August 2021 |
Former Senators
Portrait | Name Term of Office |
Classification | Appointed by/ qualifying office |
Other offices (Held during Senate tenure) |
Reason for Departure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sir Adam Belcher KCSM 22 August 2020 - 2 August 2021 |
Ordinary | President Hewitt | President of the Senate (2020 - 2021) Consul (2020) |
Resigned upon assuming the role of Acting President following the resignation of Dame Vera Hewitt. | |
Sophia Albina 30 August 2020 - 16 October 2020 |
Ordinary | President Hewitt | Resigned to pursue alternative political office. | ||
Her Honour Consul Dame Magnolia Flowers DSM
|
Ordinary | President Hewitt | Consul suffectus (2021) | Resigned following the independence of the New Richmond Republic | |
File:Simon White.jpg | Sir Simon White KNVI MSM 30 August 2020 - 19 January 2021 |
Ordinary | President Hewitt | Consul (2021) Chancellor of the Treasury (2020 - 2021) |
Resigned to pursue alternative political office. |
File:Senator Wellman.jpg | Her Honour Senator Dame Savannah Wellman DSM
|
Ordinary | President Hewitt | Mayor of New Richmond (2020 - 2021) | Resigned following the independence of the New Richmond Republic |
Sir William Wilson KNVI 29 October 2020 - 19 February 2021 |
Ordinary | President Hewitt | Iconographer General (2020) Chief Judge of Roanoke (2020 - 2021) Governor of Carolinia (2020 - ) |
Resigned for personal reasons. |
See also
- President of the Senate (New Virginia)
- New Virginian Consul
- Parliament of New Virginia
- House of Burgesses (New Virginia)