The Senate (Sénat) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of the Republic of Congo (Parlement). It has 72 members (six for each of the 12 regions), elected for a six-year term by district, local and regional councils. Prior to the 2008 Senate election, it had 66 members; it was expanded to 72 members at that time to account for the creation of Pointe-Noire Region. Senators serve terms of six years each; terms are staggered so that one-third of the Senate's membership is renewed every two years. A person is ineligible for election to the Senate unless he is a native citizen and at least 50 years old.