 At any joint session of the Assembly, the President of the Senate presides and in his absence the Speaker of the House presides.The Assembly has broad oversight functions and is empowered to establish committees of its members to scrutinise bills and the conduct of government officials.Since the restoration of democratic rule in 1999, the Assembly has been said to be a "learning process" that has witnessed the election and removal of several Presidents of the Senate, allegations of corruption, slow passage of private member's bills and the creation of ineffective committees to satisfy numerous interests.