President of the Spanish Senate

The president of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Spanish Senate, the upper house of Spain's Cortes Generales. It is the fourth authority of the country after the Monarch (Head of State), the Prime Minister (Head of Government) and the President of the Congress of Deputies (Speaker of the Lower House). He or she is elected among and by the incumbent senators and when unable to exercise power, he or she is replaced by the Vice Presidents of the Senate.

President of the Senate
Presidente del Senado
Coat of Arms of the Senate of Spain
Incumbent
Ander Gil

since 12 July 2021
Senate of Spain
StyleThe Most Excellent
SeatPalacio del Senado, Madrid
AppointerSenate
Term lengthFour years, renewable
Constituting instrumentSpanish Constitution
Formation16 April 1834; 189 years ago (1834-04-16)
First holderFrancisco Javier Castaños, 1st Duke of Bailén
DeputyVice Presidents
Salary€177,000 annually[1]

Although it shares the representation of the Cortes Generales with the President of the Congress, the constitutional preponderance granted to the latter due to the asymmetry of the Spanish bicameralism, allows the President of the Congress to assume the leadership of the Cortes, leaving the President of the Senate in background.

The current office was established by the 1978 Constitution, however, the position has a tradition of almost 200 years, since its creation in 1834 when it was called President of the House of Peers.

As of the 14th term of the Cortes Generales, the current officeholder is Ander Gil, a member of the Socialist Parliamentary Group representing Burgos.[2]

  1. "Estos son los cargos públicos de España que más cobran". www.publico.es. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  2. "Catalan Socialists Batet and Cruz confirmed as Spanish parliament and senate speakers". VilaWeb (in Catalan). Retrieved 2019-06-04.