Nominations open today for four seats on the Legislative Council.

Members of the House of Keys vote to decide who will join the upper body of Tynwald next month.

Not only do MLCs sit in Legislative Council, which looks at and enacts legislation, but in Tynwald too, where the remit includes government policy.

MLCs Tanya August-Hanson, Marlene Maska, Paul Craine and Diane Kelsey are all coming to the end of their current terms.

Marlene Maska has already said she is not going to stand again.

In the past, Legislative Council tended to be made up of former MHKs.

However, in recent years, there has been a move towards recruiting people from the wider community.

For example, none of the four candidates who are retiring this time has ever sat in the House of Keys.

Nominations close on February 24.

However, to be nominated for the vote, a candidate has to be proposed by an MHK.

So anyone who fancies becoming a lawmaker will have to schmooze elected members now.