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Senator
A senator was a high ranking position held by individuals who sit within the Imperial Romulan Senate of the Romulan Star Empire.(TNG episode: Unification I) Deihu was a Romulan word meaning "elder"; a member of the Senate; regarded as an equivalent to the Terran "Senator". (TOS novel: The Romulan Way)
Background
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The Romulan Senate is made up of hundreds of senators representing the various provinces of the Romulan Star Empire. A senator is appointed for life, until he chooses to retire or is removed from office by the Senate. Many senior senators have held office for as long as a century, and such long careers are not unusual, given the average Romulan lifespan.
Each senator represents a province of the Empire in the Senate. Since not all provinces are divided equally, senators vary in terms of power or prestige based on the provinces they represent. For example, Romulus and Remus are divided into individual provinces, each with its own senators. On the other hand, a province a newly settled area of Romulan space may contain more than a dozen star systems and several colonies, but have only one representative in the Senate.
This tends to weigh the Senate heavily towards senators who represent the interests of the Romulan core worlds and provinces, while still giving some voice to every province. Newer provinces constantly lobby for additional senators, although this entails subdividing the province into smaller regions, which is not always desirable. Senators regularly debate this issue. Usually the smaller coalitions of the Senate favors the establishment of new provinces, since it gives them an opportunity to offer new senatorial candidates and gain members.
Senators traditionally live in the provinces they represent, maintaining homes there, but they spend most of their time on Romulus, where the Senate meets. Senators of the provinces on Romulus, like senator Pardek, are known for walking through the streets of their provinces, meeting with the common people and hearing their concerns. (Last Unicorn RPG module: The Way of D'era: The Romulan Star Empire)
