The 1973 Constitution, promulgated on 14 August 1973, provided for a parliamentary form of government with a
bicameral legislature – the National Assembly and the Senate.
The Senate, the upper house of the Parliament, has equal representation from each province, balancing the
provincial inequality in the National Assembly, where the number of members is based on population of the
provinces.
The Senate Chairman is number two in the Warrant of Precedence after the President and the Prime Minister. The
Senate has a total of 100 members who serve six year terms, which are alternated so that half the seats are up for
election by the Electoral College every three years.
The Constitution empowers the President to dissolve the National Assembly, but the Senate is not subject to
dissolution