Senators are who? What are the responsibilities of the senator

The Senate refers to one of several higher administrative bodies in the country that deals with issues of personnel appointments, political investigations, and the definition of domestic and foreign policies. State institutions of our time have their own versions of this institution in Russia, in the USA, Italy, as well as in France, Spain, Belgium, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Poland, Australia, Colombia and many others. Often this body is called in another way - the upper house of parliament (legislative assembly).

Definition

Senators are officials in elected positions in the same institution. However, in some countries of the modern democratic system, this term is used to refer to the branches that are part of the highest judicial instances.

To determine what the word "senator" means, it is necessary to turn to the Latin origins of this expression. In the ancient language, now not used in colloquial speech, there is the word "senatus". It defines a group, a collection of older people, and, in turn, comes from "senex", which means "old man". The very origin of the term is closely related to one of the forms of social structure, where the power belonged to those tribal elders, which later were referred to as senators. It lasted about a thousand years during the existence of ancient Rome. Having first appeared in that era, the idea of the Senate as a political institution was raised by many countries throughout a significant historical period up to the present day.

First Senate

However and now, and in an antiquity senators are different officials. Then they were considered representatives of the upper class. The title given to them was lifelong. The emperor had the power to appoint people to these posts, and they passed their position by inheritance. With the establishment of the republic around the 6th century BC. E. The senate originated from the council of elders, who represented the patrician family. Along with other state formations, it became a significant part of public life. In its composition, former magistrates were for life, which meant the concentration of political forces and the experience of Rome.

Senators carried out preliminary consideration of bills, directed military affairs, defined foreign policy, financed, cared about state property, supervised religious cults, declared a state of emergency. Almost they were in charge of the state.
Their decrees had the force of law. In the ancient Roman period, the power of the senators gradually became limited, relentlessly concentrating on the emperor. As the governing body turned into a meeting of representatives of noble wealthy families, each senator whose office was inherited ceased to have much political influence.

Russian way

In Russia, the first senate was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1711 as the highest body of state power and legislative activity. From the beginning of the 19th century, the institution began to exercise supervisory functions over the work of public entities. And, according to a high decree, since 1864, it was assigned to him another important thing - to fulfill the function of the highest cassation instance. However, having existed until 1917, the Senate and its members were dissolved as a result of the events of the October Revolution at the request of the "Decree on the Court".

King Peter the Great was often absent from the country, which prevented him from devoting himself entirely to governing the state. With the purpose of delegating power, he repeatedly entrusted matters to selected individuals. At first, these powers looked like a temporary personal assignment. But since 1711 such duties have been entrusted to a new institution, called the Government Senate. It did not resemble the foreign institutions of that time (Poland, Sweden), but was called upon to respond to the peculiar conditions of Russian life. The size of the power given to officials was determined by the decree of the tsar, where it was specified about influence on equal with the person of his Majesty. This, to a certain extent, affected the meaning of the word "senator" in the Russian interpretation.

Petrovsky reforms

When the regular absences of Peter stopped, the question of dissolving the senators did not arise. The institution becomes an organization where the most important cases of management, legal proceedings and the development of current legislation are taking place. In the last years of the reign of Peter, the extraordinary powers of the senators lost their meaning, mainly in the legislative case. Founded in 1726, the Supreme Privy Council actually began to exercise power, as a result of which the position of the Senate radically changed, and many of its members moved to the Council.

In the next almost two hundred years, the organization founded by Peter the First has undergone many changes: it was divided into departments, converted into a cabinet, a committee of ministers, divided powers, duties and rights both internally and in conjunction with other state institutions. The arrival of the revolution and people's power in the early 20th century made its continued existence impossible. The institution and its members were discharged.

The newest period

For the first time the prototype of the senate in Russia of the Soviet era was implemented on the example of the Federation Council (unofficial reduction - SovFed) in July 1990 as an advisory body to the President of the USSR in the period 1990-1991. He was headed directly by the head of the country and included top officials in the staff. It included 31 members from among the chairmen of the Soviets of Autonomous Republics, regions and districts, as well as 31 chairmen of some regional and city bodies. Having conducted an analogy with a number of foreign institutions, people began to call the SovFed the Senate, and its members - senators.

Today, the Upper Chamber of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation is established in Russia. It was created on the basis of the organ of the Soviet period and operates on the principle of the classical senate. The Federation Council can not be dissolved by the President. Meetings therein are held separately from meetings of deputies in the State Duma. Works as a permanent body, members of the Council fulfill their duties on an ongoing basis.

Upper Chamber

This state body is formed and is made up according to a nonparty principle. This definition means that its members do not create factions or parties. Representatives of the Upper Chamber are inviolable for the entire term of their office. The legislative work of the institution takes a subordinate role in relation to the State Duma. Thus, the acts are preliminary discussed in the Duma and only after a positive evaluation are submitted for consideration by the SovFed.

Over the past 20 years, the Russian "Senate" has passed four stages of reform. At each of them, a change of regional leaders was carried out, the mechanisms of personnel appointments were clarified, and the passing qualification was determined. For example, among the general requirements for elected candidates, there is an age limit of 30 years, the need for 5 years of compassion, as well as an impeccable reputation. Each senator in Russia is a representative of the legislative or executive body of a constituent entity of the Federation.

How it is done in America

Senators are the second most influential people in the state after the governor. Their total number in the United States is 100 members, 2 representatives each from the state. To be elected to the post of US senator, as a rule, is much more complicated than the congressman:

• Pass only two people from the state and no more;
• US senators are elected for a six-year term, that is, every two years they campaign for one-third of the total number of members;
• The election procedure can take a large amount of financial and psychological resources.

To have real chances for an official candidate for senators, the law requires:

• Sufficient time to be a known person, preferably both in the state and at the level of the federal political atmosphere;
• Have a good public status: the governor, the congressman with the experience, the mayor from the big city, other advantages and achievements;
• To focus around you a great deal of influence and financial opportunities;
• Each candidate must be nominated by the state party organization, a non-partisan fighter to win elections in the states is very difficult.

The election campaign for the senate is held in the same fierce manner as presidential elections. During the year, millions are wasted, scandals are rising in the media. Compete in the struggle for one candidate from the Republican and Democratic parties. If the new candidate showed a good result of work for the first term, then in the next election he becomes almost invincible. A senator in the United States is a public servant who holds his office sometimes up to 30 years.

Duties of the senator

A member of the senate of any state is endowed with a number of powers and duties, the fulfillment of which his voters demand. Since the main work of the institution consists of meetings and discussions of documents, the official must certainly take a personal active part in the meetings of those entities of which he is a member. Senators consider bills, determine the internal and external policies of society, take part in the management of finances, state property, culture, industry, education. A member of an institution shall ensure equal representation of each of the subjects of the federation in the supreme bodies of power by his office. He is elected for a longer term than parliamentarians, and the total number is renewed more often. Senators have the same duties as deputies of the lower chambers. With the interaction of the Senate with the Parliament, this allows us to filter out solutions with a populist bias.