The 2015 legislative year has opened both at the National Assembly and the Senate. The March session of parliament that opened in both houses last Thursday is traditionally devoted to election of bureau members for a one-year mandate.
Section II of the standing orders of the senate states that the permanent bureau of the house is made up of 17 members; a president, one first vice president, four vice presidents, three questors and eight secretaries.
As the house prepares to re-elect the pioneer bureau, observers are already asking the question; who will replace Senator Fon Fontem Njifua?
Late Senator Njifua who died last year was one of the three Questors elected last June 2013 and re-elected last March 2014. Although his replacement as senator can only be through by-elections, his replacement as Questor of the bureau has to be effected this March, given that it is the first elective session since the Questor died.
While critics say the rest of the 16 members of the bureau would be re-elected, it is highly expected that another senator from the Southwest region will replace the deceased Questor at the bureau.
Some names that are being whispered around the CPDM party headquarters include Daniel Matute, Chief Tabetando and Andrew Otte Mofa. But who eventually succeeds late Njifua at the bureau of the senate is still a matter of wait and see.
In the meantime, the house will also need to elect a new chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee to replace late Senator Bochong Francis Nkwain.
Here also it is rumoured that it could be Fon Doh of Bali or Wallang David of Wum.
There are six political parties represented at the house-CPDM, SDF, UNDP, ANDP, FNSC and MDR. Going by prorata, the bureau will still be CPDM dominated.
The Senate was created in 1996 after an amendment to the constitution created the upper chamber. The President of the Senate, who is the second personality according to state protocol, is also the constitutionally designated successor to the President of the Republic in case of a vacancy in the latter office.
