Members of the Liberian Senate yesterday discovered several loopholes in the permanent rules of this noble body, particularly with regard to articles 19 and 14, which deal with the election of a president pro tempore. Article 38 of the Constitution authorizes both houses of the legislature to form both committees and subcommittees, with the sole reservation that the Committee on Roads, Resources, Finance and Budget shall be composed of one senator from each district. Each committee is chaired by a chairperson appointed pro tempore by the chairperson. During the 52nd legislature, the twenty-six standing committees were: the debate arose from a communication drafted and placed on the agenda of the plenary, in which this body was called upon to elect a president pro tempore on Thursday 22 October. January 2015, but there was a great deal of confusion that rules 19 and 14 of the Rules of the Senate could not apply if the vacancy had to be filled, as some senators have argued, and therefore the body cannot ignore them. The Senate`s term was staggered under both constitutions, with two classes of senators elected alternately. In the 2005 senatorial elections, this method was reintroduced, with each voter voting twice for different candidates. The candidate with the highest number of votes was elected senator in the first category, for a nine-year term, followed by elections in 2014. [1] The candidate with the second highest number of votes became a senator in the second category with an exceptional six-year term, followed by elections in 2011 for a normal nine-year term. Since 2011, elections have been staggered, with each constituency electing one senator (2011-2020) and another senator three years later (2014-2023), followed by a six-year period during which no senator is elected (no senatorial half elections in 2017). In addition to the Speaker pro tempore, the Senate elects a Secretary of the Senate, an Assistant Secretary of the Senate, and a Sergeant-at-Arms as officers of the Senate, although these positions are not filled by sitting senators. You can also access hundreds of today`s best African stories and thousands of last-minute articles for free from our homepage – without a subscription. Log in to get full access to the article The Senate, as well as the House of Representatives, must approve any treaty or other international agreement signed by the President.

If the President vetoes a bill passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, the veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the members of each chamber. The Constitution also grants the Senate several exclusive powers to control the actions of the executive branch. According to article 54, the appointments of ministers, judges, district officials, military officers and other officers by the President must be confirmed by the Senate. The Senate is also responsible for convicting the president, vice president and judges if they are impeached by the House of Representatives. Conviction and impeachment require the consent of two-thirds of senators. Following the political turmoil in Liberia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the Senate was dissolved and reconstituted several times. After the 1980 military coup, the Senate was dissolved and several of its members executed, while its powers were transferred to the People`s Redemption Council. Following the promulgation of the 1985 Constitution and the 1985 parliamentary elections, the Senate was reconstituted, only to dissolve after the outbreak of the first Liberian civil war in 1990. After a peace agreement that ended the war, the Senate reconvened after the successful conduct of the 1997 parliamentary elections and remained constituted during the second Liberian civil war from 1999 to 2003. The Accra Peace Agreement, which ended the civil war, transferred powers from the Senate to Liberia`s unicameral Transitional National Legislative Assembly for two years, after which voters elected a new Senate in the 2005 general elections. The Senate holds a regular session each year, which begins on the second working Monday in January and ends on March 31.

August ends with a two-week break for Easter. In accordance with article 32 (b) of the Constitution, the Senate, with the consent of one-quarter of its members and one-quarter of the members of the House, or the President may, on its own initiative, extend the session beyond the adjournment or convene an extraordinary session outside the ordinary session. The plenary sessions take place every Tuesday and Thursday, the committees meet on Mondays and Wednesdays. I, ___, solemnly swear (certify) that I will support, support, protect and defend the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Liberia, that I will carry genuine conviction and allegiance to the Republic and that I will faithfully, conscientiously and impartially discharge the duties and functions of the office of Senator to the best of my ability. So help me God. Article 83 (b) of the 1985 Constitution originally introduced a two-round system for senatorial elections, whereby a second election was held one month later if no candidate obtained a majority of votes. The Accra Peace Agreement temporarily suspended this provision for the 2005 parliamentary elections, which used the first-past-the-post electoral system. In 2011, section 83(b) was amended by referendum to require first-past-the-post voting in all future parliamentary elections. The Constitution requires all senators to take an oath or take insurance upon taking office. The Secretary of the Senate takes the oath of office to all senators on the first day of their session in the Senate. The following oath is enshrined in the Constitution: In the event of the death, resignation, promotion to an ineligible office, incapacity or expulsion of a Senator before the end of his term, the Senate is obliged to inform the National Electoral Commission within 30 days of the vacancy.

The NEB will then hold a by-election within 90 days of this announcement to fill the vacancy. Senators elected in a by-election serve only for the remainder of their predecessor`s term. Historically, the Senate has been dominated by the president`s political party. From 1877 until the 1980 coup, the True Whig Party of the Liberian-American minority had a virtual monopoly on the national government, including nearly every seat in the Senate. Samuel Do`s National Democratic Party of Liberia and Charles Taylor`s National Patriotic Party won large majorities in the Senate during their respective presidencies. Following the 2005 parliamentary elections, widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Liberia`s history, a total of nine parties won seats in the Senate. No party won a majority of seats, a first in Liberia`s political history. The Senate is largely modeled after the United States Senate. The constitution delegates Liberia`s legislative power to the Senate and House of Representatives, both of which must approve a bill before it is sent to the president. In addition, the Senate has several exclusive powers under the Constitution, including the power to deliberate and approve the appointment of the president for executive and judicial powers, and the duty to bring to justice all officials indicted by the House of Representatives.

Under the original constitution of 1847, senators served four-year terms with no term limit. The term was extended to six years by a constitutional amendment in 1904. The 1985 draft constitution set the term of senators at eight years, although the term was changed to nine years by the military government before ratification. Article 30 of the Constitution sets out four conditions for members of the Senate: (1) they must be Liberian citizens, (2) they must be at least thirty years of age, (3) they must have resided in the county they represent for at least one year prior to their election, and (4) they must be taxpayers. Under the Constitution of 1847, senators were required to own a certain real estate value in their riding, which limited the ability of Indigenous citizens to be elected to the Senate.