The Senate

The Cortes Generales represent the Spanish people, exercise the legislative power of the State, approve its budgets and control the Government’s action.

They comprise the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.

The Senate is the chamber of territorial representation.

How many senators are there in Spain?

The number of senators is not fixed.

There will be 266 in the next legislature.

How are the senators elected?

208 senators are elected by universal suffrage.

The person voted for, or the candidate, is selected from the Senate’s single ballot paper.

The candidates chosen by the voter do not necessarily have to be members of the same party.

Electors can cast their vote for:

  • A maximum of three candidates in the provincial constituencies.
  • A maximum of two candidates in Gran Canaria, Majorca, Tenerife, Ceuta and Melilla.
  • There is a maximum of one candidate in the other island constituencies.

The candidates who obtain the highest number of votes in their constituency will obtain a seat.

The other 58 senators are elected by the legislative assemblies of the autonomous communities, one per community and another for each million inhabitants of their respective territories.