Senator for life (France)

A senator for life (French: sénateur inamovible) was an elected position under the French Third Republic, similar to that of senator for life in other countries. At one time the French Senate was composed of 300 members, of whom 75 were inamovible ("unremovable").

History

Under the law of 24 February 1875 on the organization of the Senate, there were 300 members of whom 225 were elected by the departments and colonies, and 75 were elected by the National Assembly. The 75 were elected by list and by an absolute majority of votes, and were irremovable, like the members of the Chamber of Peers under the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy.

If a senator for life died or resigned, the Senate would elect a replacement within two months.[1] By the law of 10 December 1884 appointment of immovable senators ceased and the immovable senators gradually disappeared.[1] Émile Deshayes de Marcère, the last surviving sénateur inamovible, died in 1918.[1] Overall there were 116 lifetime senators.[2] The first 75 had been appointed by the National Assembly and the remaining 41 by the Senate itself.[1]

Notable immovable senators included Gaston Audiffret-Pasquier, first president of the Senate; the scientist Marcellin Berthelot, who became minister of public education and then minister of foreign affairs; Monseigneur Dupanloup; Albert Grévy, the younger brother of President Jules Grévy; Louis Martel, elected President of the Senate in 1879; Philippe Le Royer, elected President of the Senate in 1882; Auguste Scheurer-Kestner, the defender of Alfred Dreyfus; the abolitionist Victor Schœlcher and the statesman Henri-Alexandre Wallon.[1]

List of life senators

The senators for life were:[2]

Later systems

In 2005, the senator Patrice Gélard and others tabled a bill for a constitutional amendment granting former presidents of France a life seat in the Senate, instead of one on the Constitutional Council.[3][4] This proposal was, however, not enacted.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Les sénateurs inamovibles – Senate.
  2. ^ a b Liste des anciens sénateurs de la IIIème République ... Senat.
  3. ^ Hassoux, Didier (14 January 2005). "La Chiraquie veut protéger son chef quand il quittera l'Élysée". Libération (in French). Paris. ISSN 0335-1793.
  4. ^ "Proposition de loi constitutionnelle relative au statut des anciens présidents de la République française" (in French). Paris: Senate. 27 January 2005. Retrieved 14 January 2018.

Sources

Further reading

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