Senate of Bermuda

The Senate of Bermuda is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Bermuda. The Senate consists of eleven members appointed by the governor for five-year terms—five senators are recommended by the premier, three by the leader of the opposition, and three are appointed at the discretion of the governor. Of the three appointed by the governor, the Senate elects one to serve as the president, and another to serve as the vice-president.

The Senate is a house of review and can be a road-block to constitutional change—the constitution requires a 2/3 super-majority, eight votes, for a constitutional amendment.

The presiding officer of the Senate is the President of the Senate. The current President, Joan Dillas-Wright, was appointed to the Senate in 2008 and previously was CEO of the Bermuda Hospitals Board.

Carol Bassett was the first woman president of the Senate in 2008. She resigned the office in August 2017.