Moderator of the Sanctarian Senate
| Moderator of the Senate | |
|---|---|
 Sanctarian Coat of Arms | |
| Style |
|
| Member of |
|
| Reports to | Senate |
| Seat | Parliament House, Sanctus, Sanctaria |
| Appointer | Senate following secret ballot. |
| Term length | None Until end of Senate term. |
| Formation | 19 November 1974 |
| First holder | Gerald Pierce |
| Deputy | Deputy Moderator of the House of Deputies |
| Salary | S£300,000 |
| Website | moderator.senate.sct |
The Moderator of the Senate is the chairperson and presiding officer of the Sanctarian Senate, the upper house of the federal Parliament of Sanctaria. The current Moderator, Seth Leveson, was elected by the Senate from among their number at the first sitting of the Senate on 25 February 2013 following that year's general election; he was re-elected following the 2020 senate election.
History[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
The Moderator of the Senate holds a key parliamentary position and is expected to maintain strict impartiality in the proceedings of the Senate. While the government usually aims to nominate a member from its own political party for the role if they have sufficient deputies, the Moderator's impartiality is crucial. However unlike the convention in the House of Deputies where outgoing Speakers seeking re-election to the House are unopposed by other parties in general elections, outgoing Moderators seeking re-election as a Senator must participate in a normal contest.
The Moderator's role is primarily non-participatory, as they do not engage in debates or cast votes, except in the case of a tie. In such situations, the Moderator generally follows parliamentary conventions, which often involve voting against motions.[a] Specifically, the duties of the Moderator are:
- Calling on Members to Speak: The Moderator has the responsibility of recognising senators to address the Senate. All speeches must be directed towards the Moderator.
- Conducting Senate Proceedings: The Moderator puts forth questions to the Senate, supervises the voting process during divisions, and declares the results of the votes.
- Maintaining Order: The Moderator has the authority to preserve order within the Senate. In cases of disorderly conduct, the Moderator may order deputies to withdraw from the Senate chamber or suspend an individual from participating for a specific period. In instances of significant disorder, the Moderator can suspend or adjourn the entire Senate.
In addition to the Moderator's parliamentary duties, they hold an ex officio position on the Presidential Commission. This commission serves as a collective vice presidency and assumes the duties of the President of Sanctaria in the absence of an incumbent or when the President is unavailable due to travel or other reasons. The Moderator also serves on the Parliament Commission, a body which is responsible for managing the upkeep and maintenance of Parliament House.
List of moderators[edit | edit source]
| Moderators of the Senate | |||||
Colour key:
| |||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office[b] | Senate | |
| 1 | 
|
Gerald Pierce (1898—1985) |
19 November 1974 |
09 December 1981 |
First |
| 2 | 
|
Edward Booth (1911—2004) |
09 December 1981 |
15 December 1993 |
Second |
| Third | |||||
| 3 | 
|
Samuel Douglas (1927—2006) |
15 December 1993 |
05 December 2000 |
Fourth |
| 4 | 
|
Adam Watkins (1924—2012) |
05 December 2000 |
18 December 2007 |
Fifth |
| 5 | 
|
Luke Coates (b. 1938) |
18 December 2007 |
25 February 2013 |
Sixth |
| 6 | 
|
Seth Leveson (b. 1951) |
25 February 2013 |
Incumbent | Seventh |
| Eighth | |||||
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Moderators follow the principle that in the event of a tie, they should always vote in favour of a motion that furthers debate, against the final readings of bills as there is no clear majority, against motions to confirm a nominee to a confirmable post, and in favour of motions to examine whether a bill is a money bill.
- ↑ The Sanctarian constitution explicitly provides for the offices of the Moderator of the Senate and Speaker of the House to be able to be held by individuals who are not members of either chamber. This is to enable the Moderator and the Speaker to continue to fulfil their duties as part of the Presidential Commission as and when needed, and is necessary due to the provision within the constitution that states all Senators and MPs immediately vacate their seats on the dissolution of their house; this includes members of the government who are deemed to have immediately resigned their posts upon dissolution of the House. As such, individuals who serve successive terms as either Moderator or Speaker do not see their terms interrupted by dissolution and elections.