Senate of Antilla

The Senate of Antilla is the upper chamber of the Parliament of Antilla, the bicameral legislature of the Commonwealth of Antilla. The Senate of Antilla consists of 22 seats: ten are occupied by senators from the main island of Marquesa, and two each from Antilla's six smaller inhabited islands. The Senate functions as the senior chamber of Parliament: any proposed legislation approved by the House of Commons must subsequently be ratified by the Senate in order to become law, meaning the Senate has the power of veto over legislation passed in the House of Commons. However, the Senate may not propose any new legislation of its own, as this is the exclusive responsibility of the House of Commons. This separation of powers is intended to uphold the democratic process.

Senators are elected to a six-year term, with no limit on the number of terms a senator may serve consecutively. Senate elections take place every three years, with one half of the seats (five seats from Marquesa and one seat each from the six smaller islands) alternating with the other half each election. The more recently elected half of senators are referred to as junior senators, the other half as senior senators. Marquesa is geographically divided into ten Senate districts, with each district represented by a single seat. By contrast, the six smaller islands are each represented by one senator elected by the most populous municipality on the island, and the other senator elected "at-large" by the the remaining population of the island.

The Senate of Antilla meets in the north chamber of Parliament House, while the House of Commons meets in the south chamber. Parliament House also has larger auditorium at its centre, which is used to hold joint sessions of both chambers.