To bridge the constitutional gap now that both sitting consuls were dead, the Senate revived the ancient office of interrex. The Republic had occasionally used an interrex to oversee consular elections if the consuls were dead or so indisposed that they could not return to Rome. Since this was obviously the case, the interrex convened the Assembly and presented a bill to make Sulla dictator legibus faciendis et reipublicae constitienae: “Dictator for the making of laws and settling of the constitution.” The Assembly passed the bill unanimously.
