Vice Chair/Legends

The Vice Chair (sometimes referred to, with less frequency and accuracy, as the Vice Chancellor or Vice Chairman) assisted the Supreme Chancellor in the running of the Galactic Senate. The Vice Chair's duties include:


 * Formally opening and closing sessions of the Senate.
 * Formally opening and closing Senate debates and discussions.
 * Moderating Senate debates and discussions.
 * Calling senators to attend Senate sessions.
 * Enforcing the procedural rules of the Senate.
 * Disciplining senators who break said procedures.

The Vice Chair apparently frequently (or always) was a member of the Office of the Supreme Chancellor (despite having his/her own Office of the Vice Chair) and was responsible for the maintainence of the Senate when the Chancellor could not attend in person. As such, the Vice Chair's role was essentially a hybridization of a speaker of the house and vice president. The Vice Chair served as long as she/he could maintain the confidence of the Senate, and could be removed/instated in Senate elections independent of electiosn for Chancellor.

In the waning years of the Republic, Senate factions opposed to the current Chancellor would nominate one of their own for Vice Chair. The Vice Chair would then be able to use his control over procedures to ensure that the Chancellor would be essentially unable to get any work done without the approval of the Vice Chair (and thus, the Chair's faction).

This was the case with Mas Amedda, who was elected to the position in 33 BBY by Orn Free Taa's faction to control Finis Valorum. Amedda continued in that position until at least the early days of the Galactic Empire; it is unknown if a Vice Chair continued to serve until the Senate's dissolution in 0 BBY (although it would seem that the position was replaced with that of the Grand Vizier at some point).