The Senate has amended its standing orders to restrict eligibility for the office of Senate President and other principal positions to ranking lawmakers, with a new provision that favours returning members of the 10th National Assembly.
The amendment means that only senators currently serving in the 10th Assembly who win re-election into the 11th Senate will be eligible to contest for the Senate presidency and other principal offices.
The decision was reached after a closed-door session on Tuesday, during which lawmakers reviewed and adopted changes to the Senate’s internal rules.
Under the revised rules, only senators who have served two terms will be eligible to contest for principal offices, and one of the two terms must be the immediate term preceding the nomination.
The new rule effectively narrows the field of possible contenders and places a stronger emphasis on legislative ranking, continuity and experience within the chamber.
The amended Order 4 provides that the nomination of senators to serve as presiding officers shall follow the ranking of senators and must be strictly observed.
The order of ranking places former Senate Presidents first, followed by former Deputy Senate Presidents, former principal officers of the Senate, senators who have served at least one term of four years, senators who previously served in the House of Representatives and, where none of these categories applies, first-term senators.
The Senate said the amendment was intended to strengthen the chamber’s tradition of ranking and ensure that leadership positions are occupied by lawmakers with legislative experience.
The development is expected to shape political calculations ahead of the inauguration of the 11th Senate, particularly among senators seeking leadership positions in the next Assembly.
