Sénat

Parliament name (generic / translated)

Structure of parliament

Chamber name (generic / translated)

Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments)

Leadership

President

Secretary General

Composition

Members (statutory / current number)

Women (current number)

Mode of designation

Term

Last renewal dates

Legal Framework

Electoral law

Mode of designation

Voting system

Voter requirements

Candidates

Eligibility

• Qualified voters
• Congolese nationality
• Age: 30 years minimum
• Enjoyment of full civil and political rights

• Persons deprived of their civil and political rights
• Persons tried for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity by an international criminal court
• Undischarged bankruptcy
• Persons with medically-certified complete mental incapacity during the five years prior to the elections
• Civil servants and public administration agents who, by the closing date for the submission of candidatures, have not produced evidence of their request for release from their functions
• Management executives of public or semi-public firms who, by the closing date for the submission of candidatures, have failed to tender their resignation
• Magistrates who, by the closing date for the submission of candidatures, have failed to show that they have tendered their resignation
• Members of the army and the Congolese national police force that have not proven, by the closing date for the submission of candidatures, that their resignation has been accepted or that they have effectively retired from service
• Members of the independent Elections Commission at all levels, including staff.

Incompatibilities

• Members of the Senate
• Members of government
• Members of a democracy-promoting institution
• Members of the armed forced, national police and security services;
• Magistrates
• Career public servants
• Local government administration executives holding political-administrative office, with the exception of heads of local authorities, chieftainships and local associations;
• Management executives of public enterprises
• Members of the President of the Republic's cabinet, the Prime Minister's cabinet, the Speaker of the National Assembly's cabinet, the President of the Senate's cabinet, members of government and generally members of a political or administrative State authority, employees of a public or semi-public enterprise
• Holders of any other elected office
• Persons discharging functions for which they are remunerated by a foreign State or international body.

Candidacy requirements

Appointment and term of office

Title

Term

• Duration: 5 years (term of the Senate)

Appointment

• The Speaker is elected by members of the Senate.

Eligibility

• Only members of the Senate are eligible.

Voting system

• There is formal notification process for the candidate.
• The Speaker is elected by secret ballot.
• A candidate who receives more than 50% of the votes is declared elected in the first round of voting. If no candidate is elected in the first round, a second round will be held.

Procedures / results

• The President of the interim Board presides over the Chamber during the voting.
• The President of the interim Board supervises over the Chamber during the voting.
• The President of the interim Board announces the results.
• The result cannot be challenged.

Status

Status

• The President ranks second in the hierarchy of State.
• The Speaker of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate alternately preside joint sittings of a bicameral Parliament.
• The Speaker may act as the Head of State.
• In the absence of the Speaker, the first Vice-President assumes his/her role and duties.

Board

• The Speaker is assisted by the Board.
• The Board is primarily an advisory body.
• The Board is elected for 5 years (term of the Senate).
• The Board consists of a President, a first Vice-President, a second Vice-President, a rapporteur, an assistant rapporteur, a quaestor and an assistant quaestor.

Material facilities

• A special allowance due to his/her position dont le montant est fixé par la loi de finances
• Official residence
• Official car
• Security protection
• Additional staff