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Elections:
-Presidential, 2004
-Legislative, 2002 The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Ireland This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ...
The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign, independent state. ...
The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ...
The Council of State (Irish: Comhairle Stáit) is an organ established by the Constitution of Ireland to advise the President of Ireland in the exercise of many of her discretionary, reserve powers. ...
The Oireachtas is the National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland1. ...
Seanad Éireann (English: Senate of Ireland), the Irish Senate, is the upper house of the Oireachtas: the parliament of the Republic of Ireland1. ...
The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) or, more formally, An Taoiseach, is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet1. ...
The Tánaiste (plural: Tánaistithe), or more formally An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland1. ...
The Supreme Court (Irish: Chúirt Uachtarach) is the highest judicial authority in the Republic of Ireland. ...
The High Court of the Republic of Ireland is a court which deals at first instance with the most serious and important civil and criminal cases, and also acts as a court of appeal for civil cases in the Circuit Court. ...
The courts system in the Republic of Ireland consists of the Supreme Court, the High Court and a number of lower courts. ...
An amendment may be made to any part of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, but only by referendum. ...
There are a number of political parties in the Republic of Ireland, and coalition governments are common. ...
Elections in the Republic of Ireland gives information on election and election results in the Republic of Ireland. ...
The date for Irelands presidential election was set for 22 October 2004. ...
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday 17 May 2002, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. ...
| Dáil Éireann[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%E1il_%C9ireann#endnote_pronounciation) is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the Single Transferable Vote. Its powers are similar to those of lower houses under many other parliamentary systems and it is by far the dominant branch of the Oireachtas. It effectively has power to pass any law it wishes, and to nominate and remove the Taoiseach (head of government). It meets, since 1922, in Leinster House in Dublin. A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. ...
The Oireachtas is the National Parliament of the Republic of Ireland1. ...
Proportional representation (PR) is any of various multi-winner electoral systems which try to ensure that the proportional support gained by different groups is accurately reflected in the election result. ...
The Single Transferable Vote, or STV, is a preference voting system designed to minimise wasted votes in multi-candidate elections while ensuring that votes are explicitly for candidates rather than party lists. ...
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ...
The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) or, more formally, An Taoiseach, is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet1. ...
The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. ...
1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
Leinster House is the former palace of the Duke of Leinster. ...
Dublins Hapenny Bridge. ...
Composition
Leinster House in Dublin, location of Dáil Éireann. The current, 29th Dáil has 166 members. Members are directly elected at least once in every five years by the people of the Republic of Ireland under the system of proportional representation by means of the Single Transferable Vote (STV). Membership of the Dáil is open to citizens who are 21 or older. A member of the Dáil is known as a TD (Teachta Dála) or deputy. image of Leinster House. ...
image of Leinster House. ...
A TD or Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas (pronounced orr-och-tas) or National Parliament. ...
Election The Dáil electorate consists of Irish and United Kingdom citizens over 18 years of age. Under the Constitution of Ireland a general election for Dáil Éireann must occur once in every seven years, but a five year limit is currently specified by statute. The Taoiseach (head of government) can, by making a request to the president, effectively dissolve the Dáil at any time, in which case a general election must occur within thirty days. The Constitution of Ireland is the founding legal document of the state known today as the Republic of Ireland. ...
A general election is an election in which all members of a given political body are up for election. ...
The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) or, more formally, An Taoiseach, is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet1. ...
The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ...
The STV electoral system broadly produces proportional representation in the Dáil. The small size of the constituencies used, however, usually gives a small advantage to the larger parties and under-represents smaller parties. Since the 1990s the norm in the state has been coalition governments. Prior to 1989, however, one party governments, usually of the Fianna Fáil party, were very common. The multi-seat constituencies required by STV mean that candidates must often compete for election with others from the same party. This increases voter choice but is accused by some of producing TDs who are excessively parochial. Two failed attempts--1959 and 1968--have been made to change to the British Single Member Plurality ('First-past-the-post') electoral system. Both were rejected in referenda. By-elections occur under the Alternative Vote system. Events and trends Technology The World Wide Web was born at CERN Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft...
1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; English translation: Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in Ireland. ...
The first-past-the-post electoral system is a voting system for single-member districts, variously called first-past-the-post (FPTP or FPP), winner-take-all, plurality voting, or relative majority. ...
An amendment may be made to any part of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, but only by referendum. ...
When the single transferable vote voting system is applied to a single-winner election it is sometimes called instant-runoff voting (IRV), as it is much like holding a series of runoff elections in which the lowest polling candidate is eliminated in each round until someone receives majority vote. ...
Currently every constituency elects between three and five TDs (the average is 3.9). The constitution specifies that no constituency may return fewer than three TDs but does not specify any upper limit to constituency magnitude. The constitution requires that constituency boundaries be reviewed at least once in every twelve years, so that boundaries may be redrawn to accommodate changes in population. Boundary changes are currently drafted by an independent commission, and its recommendation are usually followed. Malapportionment is forbidden by the constitution. A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ...
Malapportionment occurs when electoral systems violate the norm of equal representation according to population. ...
Number of members Under the Constitution of Ireland there must never be fewer than one TD for every thirty thousand of the population, nor more than one for every twenty thousand. The fact, however, that all ministers must be drawn from the Republic's small parliament and the need, therefore, for the lower house to provide a sufficiently large pool of talent for skilled individuals to be found for positions in the Government, has meant that in practice the ratio of TDs to citizens has always stayed close to the latter figure. In the 29th Dáil there is one TD for every 21 thousand citizens, one of the most generous such ratios anywhere in the world. With the adoption of the current constitution in 1937 the membership of the Dáil was reduced from 153 to 138, but in the 1960s Seán Lemass as Taoiseach found difficulty in appointing ministers. The number was therefore increased, only to be increased more substantially in 1981 to current figure of 166 Seán Francis Lemass (July 15, 1899 - May 11, 1971) was Taoiseach of Ireland and served as the second leader of Fianna Fáil from 1959 until 1966. ...
1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Ceann Comhairle Main article: Ceann Comhairle The Ceann Comhairle is the chairperson or speaker of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the parliament (Oireachtas) of the Republic of Ireland. ...
The speaker, or presiding member, of Dáil Éireann is the Ceann Comhairle. The Ceann Comhairle is chosen from among TDs but is expected to observe strict impartiality. Despite this, the government will usually try to select one of its own for the position, if its numbers allow. In order to protect the neutrality of the chair, an incumbent Ceann Comhairle does not seek re-election as a TD but rather is deemed automatically to have been re-elected by their constituency at a general election, unless they are retiring. The Ceann Comhairle does not vote except in the event of a tie. In this event they generally vote in accordance with the parliamentary conventions relating to the Speaker of the British House of Commons. In the British House of Commons the Speaker of the House of Commons controls the day to day running of the house. ...
Powers While in principle Dáil Éireann is only one of three components of the Oireachtas, the other two being the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann, in practice the powers the constitution grants to the Dáil render it by far the dominant branch, meaning that most bills passed by Dáil Éireann will ultimately become law. In addition to its legislative role, it is the Dail that designates the Taoiseach. The Dáil may also pass a motion of no confidence in the Government, in which case the Taoiseach must either seek a parliamentary dissolution or resign[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%E1il_%C9ireann#endnote_genelec). The Dáil also has exclusive power to: Seanad Éireann (English: Senate of Ireland), the Irish Senate, is the upper house of the Oireachtas: the parliament of the Republic of Ireland1. ...
A Motion of No Confidence, also called Motion of Non Confidence is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ...
In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election. ...
- Propose the budget (which may not originate in the Senate).
- Ratify treaties.
- Declare war or permit the state to participate in a war.
Activities Dáil Éireann determines its own standing orders and its members are protected by certain rights arising from parliamentary privilege. In line with other modern parliamentary systems, TDs do not generally vote first and foremost in accordance with their consciences or the wishes of their constituents, but must follow the instructions of party whips. Except in exceptional circumstances, the Dáil meets in public. Parliamentary privilege is a legal mechanism employed within the legislative bodies of countries whose constitutions are based on the Westminster system. ...
History
Precursors The first legislature to exist in Ireland was the Parliament of Ireland and the first legislative lower house was the House of Commons of this body. However the Parliament of Ireland was abolished under the Act of Union of 1800. Irish nationalists first convened Dáil Éireann as a revolutionary parliament in 1919 and while it successfully took over most functions of government it was not recognised under British law. Chamber of the Estates-General, the Dutch legislature. ...
This article is about the legislature abolished in 1801. ...
The Irish House of Commons by Francis Wheatley (1780). ...
The 1800 Act of Union merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain (itself a merger of England and Scotland under the Act of Union 1707) to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. ...
1800 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
In 1921 the British government established a legislature called the Parliament of Southern Ireland in an effort to appease nationalists by granting Ireland limited home rule. However this body was rejected and boycotted by nationalists whose allegiance remained with the Dáil. Nonetheless, because the First Dáil was illegal under the British constitution, the lower house of the Parliament of Southern Ireland, the House of Commons of Southern Ireland, is considered in British legal theory as the precursor to the Dáil. 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
The Parliament of Southern Ireland was set up under the Government of Ireland Act to legislate for Southern Ireland. ...
Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ...
House of Commons of Southern Ireland was the lower house of the Irish parliament created by the Government of Ireland Act, passed in 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. ...
The First Dáil (1919)
 First Dáil Laurence Ginnell (first from left, front row), Michael Collins (second from left, front row), Eamon de Valera (centre, front row), W.T. Cosgrave (second from right, front row) Main article: Dáil Éireann (1919-1922) 1919 famous historic image regularly used on posters, leaflets, handouts to tourists etc EXTREMELY unlikely to be copyright (if it is, the entire country of Ireland has broken it continually for eighty years!) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired...
The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. ...
Irish stamp comemorating the first meeting of Dáil Éireann in 1919. ...
The current Dáil derives from the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, but claims a direct line of descent from the 'First Dáil' of 1919. The First Dáil was an extra-legal assembly established by Sinn Féin MPs elected to the House of Commons in the 1918 UK General Election. Upon winning a majority of Irish seats in the election (many uncontested), Sinn Féin MPs refused to recognise the British parliament and instead convened as the First Dáil Éireann (translated as "Assembly of Ireland"): the unicameral legislature of a new notional Irish Republic, and the first Irish parliament to exist since 1801. The Dáil of the Irish Republic, however, was only recognised internationally by the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, despite intense lobbying by Irish-Americans in the USA. The name Sinn Féin pronounced Shin-Feyn (in the Irish language ourselves or we ourselves; not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone or we alone) has been applied to a series of political movements since 1905 in Ireland, each of which claim or claimed sole descent from the original party...
A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ...
The House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also includes the Sovereign and the House of Lords. ...
1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ...
1801 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...
Irish Americans are residents or citizens of the United States who claim Irish ancestry. ...
The first meeting of the Dáil occurred in Dublin, in the Mansion House. Subsequently the body was forced underground and met in number of locations. The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin and has been since 1715. ...
Irish Free State (1922-1937) Main article: Dáil Éireann (Irish Free State) From 1922-1937 Dáil Éireann served as the directly elected lower house of the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State. ...
The Dáil of the Irish Republic was succeeded in 1922 by the Dáil of the Irish Free State. The Irish Free State, comprising the twenty-six southern counties of the island of Ireland, was established under the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty. Dáil Éireann (now described as a "Chamber of Deputies") became the lower house of a new legislature called the Oireachtas. The first Dáil to exist under the constitution of the Irish Free State succeeded the Second Dáil of the Irish Republic and so was styled the Third Dáil. The Third Dáil, and every subsequent Dáil, has met in Leinster House. 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
The Irish Free State (Irish: Saorstát Éireann) was (1922–1937) the name of the state comprising the 26 of Irelands 32 counties which were separated from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Irish Free State Agreement (or Anglo-Irish Treaty) signed by British and Irish...
1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
Signature page of the Anglo_Irish Treaty The Anglo_Irish Treaty was a treaty between the British government and the Irish Republic which brought the Anglo-Irish War to an end and established the Irish Free State. ...
Constitution of Ireland (1937-present) The Constitution of Ireland, adopted in 1937, established the modern Irish state, referred to today as the Republic Ireland. Under the constitution a new legislature retained the title Oireachtas, and its lower house remained Dáil Éireann (although it was now described as a "House Representatives"). The first Dáil to meet under the Constitution of Ireland was described as the Ninth Dáil. 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Members of the 29th Dáil (May, 2002-present) Main article: Members of the 29th Dáil This is a list of the members who were elected to the 29th Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of the Republic of Ireland. ...
Government coalition parties denoted with bullets (•) Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; English translation: Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in Ireland. ...
Fine Gael (United Ireland) (IPA ) is the second largest political party in both the Republic of Ireland and Ireland as a whole. ...
The Irish Labour Party (Irish: Páirti an Lucht Oibre) is the third largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. ...
The Progressive Democrats (in Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach) is a free market liberal party in the Republic of Ireland founded in 1985. ...
The Green Party/Comhaontas Glas was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981. ...
The name Sinn Féin pronounced Shin-Feyn (in the Irish language ourselves or we ourselves; not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone or we alone) has been applied to a series of political movements since 1905 in Ireland, each of which claim or claimed sole descent from the original party...
The Socialist Party (in Irish Páirtí Sóisialach) is a political party active in Ireland. ...
The Ceann Comhairle is the chairperson or speaker of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the parliament (Oireachtas) of the Republic of Ireland. ...
The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress (i. ...
Footnotes - ^ Dáil Éireann is Irish Gaelic. It may be pronounced as: "dawl" "air-rinn".
- ^ It has happened only once that this did not result in a general election: in 1994 John Bruton of Fine Gael became Taoiseach when Labour left the Fianna Fáil government of Albert Reynolds.
Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...
1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...
John Bruton (born May 18, 1947) was the ninth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland from 1994 to 1997, leading a Fine Gael-Labour-Democratic Left Rainbow Coalition. ...
Albert Reynolds (born November 3, 1932) was the eighth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland from 1992 to 1994. ...
Related topics The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign, independent state. ...
Elections in the Republic of Ireland gives information on election and election results in the Republic of Ireland. ...
The Irish parliament, Dáil Éireann, currently contains 166 Teachtaí Dála (TDs), representing 42 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland. ...
The state known today as the Republic of Ireland came into being when twenty-six of the traditional counties of Ireland seceeded from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1922. ...
In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ...
External links - Houses of the Oireachtas (http://www.oireachtas.ie) (official website)
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