The Bavarian Senate (German Bayerischer Senat) was the corporative upper chamber of Bavaria's parliamentary system from 1946 to 1999, when it was abolished by a popular vote (referendum) changing the Constitution of Bavaria.
The 60 members of the Senate had to be at least 40 years of age and could not be a member of the Landtag (the other and more important chamber of the Bavarian parliament). Every other year, a third of the Senate's members would be elected by corporations representing social, economic, municipal or cultural groups or appointed by religious denominations for a term of six years. The number of seats representing each group was fixed by the constitution of Bavaria:
Internationally, the Senate's composition was similar to the Vocational panels in the Irish senate. It also bore remnants of council-democratic ideas.
The Senate's main role was consulting other state institutions and delivering legal opinion. It also had the power to delay state legislation passed by the Landtag within a month (one week for urgent acts). However, the Landtag could overturn the veto by a simple majority, the same majority required to pass a law in the first place.
In the 1990s, public opinion in Germany turned towards leaner government. The Senate, because it was essentially powerless, was regarded by many as an unnecessary expenditure.
In June 1997, a popular initiative petition sponsored by the Ecological Democratic Party gained 927,047 signatures (10.5% of those entitled to vote). In the following referendum on 8 February 1998, which yielded a turnout of 39.9%, a majority of 69.2% voted for the law amending the State Constitution to abolish the Senate. A counter-proposal by the ruling Christian Social Union, which would have changed the composition of the Senate, only received 23.6%.
On 1 January 2000, the law abolishing the Senate came into effect.
| Name | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| Josef Singer | 1947–1967 | |
| Hippolyt Baron Poschinger of Frauenau | 1968–1982 | |
| Hans Weiß | 1982–1993 | |
| Walter Schmitt Glaeser | 1994–1996 | |
| Heribert Thallmair | 1996–1999 |