Presiding in the Senate and in Committee

(1) The President, or in his absence the Vice-President, or in their absence a Senator (not being a Minister) elected by the Senate for the sitting, shall preside at the sittings of the Senate and shall act as Chairman of Committee of the whole Senate. (2) Save as otherwise provided in these Standing Orders, the Vice-President, or other Senator presiding, shall have all the Belize Constitution 103 authority and power of the President when presiding or otherwise performing the functions of the President. (3) The President or in his absence the Vice-President may, without any formal communication to the Senate or to the Committee, as the case may be, ask any Senator present (not being a Minister) to take the Chair temporarily. (4) Whenever the unavoidable absence of the President from any day’s sitting is announced by the Clerk at the Table, the Vice-President shall take the Chair and shall be invested with all the powers of the President until the President resumes.