MHKs have voted to change the basis for the way their colleagues in the Legislative Council are elected.

Until now the basis for election has been in legislation, under the 1971 Isle of Man Constitution (Elections to Council) Act 1971.

But the House of Keys last week voted unanimously to approve a committee report recommendation that the Act be repealed and that elections to LegCo should instead be governed by standing orders.

The aim is to provide more flexibility in changing the election process.

Quite how the election process will be changed remains to be seen - but the new system will be in place ahead of the next LegCo election, which takes place in May following the resignation of Tony Wild.

Douglas North MHK David Ashford, who chairs the Keys standing orders committee, told MHKs: ’This is a paving Bill to allow the House freedom to decide the appropriate means of electing members of the Legislative Council.

’It will remove the discredited system for electing members of the Legislative Council that is widely perceived as having failed.’

Before 2008, if a candidate got a majority of those present and voting, but this was less than 13, there was a further vote on that candidate alone and if he or she got up to 13 he or she was elected.

But these sections in the 1971 Act were repealed in 2008.

In an earlier report, the standing orders committee concluded that the current procedure has a number of defects.

The rule that there must be a majority of 13 means it is possible for votes to be delayed indefinitely.

The defects of this process are exacerbated when there are fewer voters than normal as a result of by-elections or absence.

This happened in May 2015 when gaining a majority of 13 with only 21 voting members proved impossible.

In April, Tynwald will debate the reforms recommended in the Lord Lisvane report. Lord Lisvane suggests the creation of a Nominations Commission to propose canidates to LegCo. No sitting MHK could be nominated.

And candidates would fill the available places in the order of the votes they secured in a single round of voting.

The Legislative Council Elections Bill was given its first reading straight after MHKs voted to approve the standing orders committee report recommendations.

Mr Ashford said the Bill will enable changes to the election process

to be made without restricting any other options for reform that may emerge from the discussion of the Lisvane Report.