Earlier in the news we showed you the ceremonial swearing in of the House of Representative members. The 13 senators were also sworn in as part of the commencement of their 14th session of the National Assembly.
The six new PUP Senators along with three opposition members and four independent senators took the oath, while endorsing the new President of the Senate, Carolyn Trench-Sandiford. She was nominated by Senator Eamon Courtenay, and was seconded by Senator Collet Montejo - a task that Senators Micheal Peyrifitte and Osmany Salas were falling over themselves to do.
That's a warm welcome and today, we asked the new President the role and mandate of the Senate.
Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, President of the Senate
"Bills are taken from the House of Representatives and submitted to the senate where there is a debate. Initially that debate took place between the members of the opposition, members of the ruling party and of course a person who would have been appointed by the Governor General. Due to the political reform process we now have representations from civil society, from business, from the union and from the church - which has enriched that debate and so my role is to ensure that the voices of all those represented in the senate is heard and that their issues are ventilated as it relates to the bills that are in front of us and that the people of Belize listens to the merit or the positives, the negatives, the arguments for or against and then to ensure that it passes through the process as it should."
Trench-Sandiford is a former PUP candidate and a trained municipal planner.
Elena Smith remains the senator for Unions, and Osmany Salas for NGO's. Kevin Herrera takes over as Business Senator replacing Markhelm Lizarraga, and Bishop Moses Benguche replaces Ashley Rocke as the senators for Churches.
