Seanad seats are the same as D il seats in principle they are filled promptly in the lifetime of the Oireachtas but it can be dragged out if the government so decides Traditionally once the D il is dissolved Seanad seats are not filled before the Seanad election but Brian Cowen broke with that tradition while he was still Taoiseach Personally I hope the Seanad will be abolished in the lifetime of this government but that is not a matter for the infobox