Ireland, Government of. Ireland is a republic with a written constitution. Its government has a president, a parliament, a prime minister, and a cabinet.
The Parliament of Ireland has two legislative houses. The lower house ( Dáil Éireann << dawl AIR uhn >>) is the more powerful of the two houses and Ireland’s supreme lawmaking body. The upper house, or Senate ( Seanad Éireann << SHAN uhd AIR uhn >>), has little power. If the Seanad disagrees with legislation passed by the Dáil, the Seanad can only delay its passage for 90 days or suggest amendments that the Dáil can reject.
Ireland’s president is a symbolic head of state with little power. The taoiseach << TEE shok >> (prime minister) is more powerful. The taoiseach is normally the leader of the majority party or a ruling coalition (combination) of parties in Dáil Éireann. The Dáil approves the nominations of the ministers who make up the Cabinet and can dissolve the government.
The Constitution
The Constitution of Ireland declares that Ireland is an independent, democratic state, and that the powers of government derive from the people. The document guarantees citizens the right to elect their government. It states that all citizens are equal before the law and have a right to personal rights and liberties. The Constitution guarantees each citizen freedom of conscience (freedom of beliefs) and the right to practice his or her religion. These rights must not conflict with the broader, general rights of public morality and law and order. Ireland holds referendums (voting by the people on a law) when the European Union treaties change the powers of the government (see European Union (EU)).
The Irish Parliament approved the Constitution in 1937, and the voters approved it in a referendum later that year. It went into effect on Dec. 29, 1937. The Constitution can be amended only by a referendum. But Ireland’s Supreme Court and High Court may rule on the constitutionality of laws, with the Supreme Court having the final say.
The Constitution originally recognized the special position of Roman Catholicism as the religion of the great majority of the people of Ireland. It also recognized other religions existing in Ireland at the time. But an amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1972, deleted all references to specific churches. This amendment also ended the special position of the Roman Catholic Church. The Constitution forbids the state to finance any religion. It also forbids religious discrimination, and requires the state to honor and respect people’s religion.
Until 1999, Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution stated that the national territory of Ireland included Northern Ireland. In late 1999, the United Kingdom ended much of its direct rule of Northern Ireland, transferring control of most local matters to the new Northern Ireland Assembly. The people of Ireland, in a referendum held in May 1998, approved changes to their Constitution to be made when this control was being transferred. They then approved a referendum to amend their constitution. The revised Constitution declared that a united Ireland remained the will of the people but would require the separate agreement of a majority of people in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution were changed to incorporate this statement on Dec. 2, 1999.
Executive offices
The president.
Ireland’s president is the country’s head of state. The president’s title in Gaelic, one of Ireland’s official languages, is Uachtarain na hÉireann << oohk TAR an na AIR uhn >> . The president is elected by the people to a seven-year term and may serve only two terms. Presidential duties include calling Parliament into session, appointing the taoiseach and other officials, and signing laws passed by Parliament. The president’s official residence is Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
The president does not take part in decisions on the day-to-day running of the country. In general, the president must follow the advice of the administration in power. But the president is the guardian of the Constitution and, as such, may refuse to sign certain laws that he or she fears might be unconstitutional. The president must, however, sign such laws once the Supreme Court has approved them as constitutional or the people have voted for them in a referendum.
The taoiseach
, or prime minister, is the head of the administration in power, often called the government. In Ireland and many other countries, the word government has two meanings. It may refer to the general system of ruling the country, as in the phrase the government of Ireland is a republic. Or it may refer to the administration or ministry—that is, the taoiseach and other ministers (heads of departments).
Taoiseach is the Gaelic term for prime minister. The plural form of the word is taoisigh << TEE shee >> . The taoiseach is normally the leader of the party with a majority in Dáil Éireann. If no single party holds a majority, the taoiseach is the leader of a ruling coalition of parties. On rare occasions, the taoiseach may remain in power even though his or her party is a minority. The Dáil nominates the taoiseach, and the president appoints him or her. The president must accept the person nominated by the Dáil.
The taoiseach and the government are responsible to Dáil Éireann. If the taoiseach loses the support of the Dáil, the entire government must resign or ask for the Dáil to be dissolved and a new election to be held.
The taoiseach has various powers of appointment. In addition to choosing the members of the Cabinet, the taoiseach chooses the deputy prime minister, the tanaiste << taw NIHSH tuh >> , who takes over when the taoiseach is absent or ill. The taoiseach also selects the person to be appointed attorney general (senior law officer) by the president and nominates 11 members of the Seanad.
The taoiseach plays an important part in the work of Dáil Éireann. His or her parliamentary duties include determining the order in which the chamber will deal with business, sponsoring legislation, and answering questions posed by Dáil members. The taoiseach is also the Dáil’s spokesperson on important state occasions.
A parliamentary secretary helps the taoiseach carry out the duties of the office. The secretary is appointed by the government and serves as the ruling party’s chief whip (leading disciplinary officer).
The department of the taoiseach acts as a government secretariat (administrative office). The department, under the direction of the taoiseach, maintains a record of Cabinet meetings. It ensures that the departments concerned learn and follow Cabinet decisions. The taoiseach’s department also keeps the president in touch with the work of government departments.
Several government agencies assist the taoiseach. For example, the Government Information Bureau works to publicize information about government activities. The Central Statistics Office collects and publishes statistics about population, industry, trade, and other aspects of Irish life.
The Cabinet
includes the taoiseach and a group of ministers he or she chooses, for a total of 7 to 15. The taoiseach also chooses up to 15 ministers of state, who are not members of the Cabinet but who assist the other ministers. He or she then asks the Dáil to approve the selection of ministers. After its approval, the president appoints the ministers, and the taoiseach assigns government departments to each. The taoiseach may ask the president to dismiss a minister or to accept a minister’s resignation.
Almost all Cabinet ministers are chosen from among the members of the Dáil. The taoiseach, the tanaiste, and the minister for finance must be members of the Dáil, but the taoiseach may choose up to two members of the Seanad as ministers.
Parliament
The full national parliament, called the Oireachtas << ehr UHK thus >> in Gaelic, consists of the president, Dáil Éireann, and Seanad Éireann. Dáil Éireann means Assembly of Ireland, and Seanad Éireann means Senate of Ireland. When the Dáil meets for the first time after an election, its initial task is to elect a taoiseach and government. The government is answerable to the Dáil, which can remove the government from office at any time by passing a motion of no confidence in it.
Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann
make Ireland’s laws. The Dáil has 160 members, who are elected by the people to serve up to five years. It serves as a forum (discussion place) that the opposition parties can use to examine and criticize the actions of the government.
Members of the Dáil nearly always vote with their own party’s members. However, a number of independent deputies have been elected by the people. Party leaders rigidly enforce member loyalty in supporting government policies. A member who votes against the party line, especially when his or her party is in government, may be expelled from the party. This party discipline makes it rare for a government to be voted out of office by a no-confidence motion.
The Seanad
serves mainly as an advisory body to the taoiseach and Dáil Éireann. None of its 60 members, who also serve terms of up to five years, are elected by the people. The taoiseach appoints 11 members of the Seanad, and graduates of the National University of Ireland and of Trinity College Dublin choose 6 members. A body of about 1,100 electors, drawn from Dáil Éireann and local governments, chooses the remaining 43 senators. These 43 senators are elected from panels of candidates representing five fields—(1) agriculture, (2) commerce and industry, (3) culture and education, (4) labor, and (5) public administration.
Elections.
A general election to elect members of the Dáil must take place within five years from the previous election. The taoiseach has the power to call a general election, by asking the president to dissolve the Dáil, at any time within that five-year period. After the Dáil has been dissolved, a general election must be held within 30 days. The newly elected Dáil must meet within 30 days of the election.
The Dáil is elected on a preferential system of proportional representation. This system allows voters to rank the candidates in order of preference and usually gives each political party a share of seats in proportion to its share of the total vote. The country is divided into 41 constituencies, each of which elects three, four, or five members to the Dáil. Both Irish and British citizens who are at least 18 years old and are resident (meet residency standards) in Ireland may vote in general elections. European Union citizens may vote in local government and European parliamentary elections.
The courts
The Supreme Court is Ireland’s highest court. The second highest is the High Court. Both courts handle appeals from lower courts and can declare laws unconstitutional. Lower courts include the Court of Criminal Appeal, circuit courts, and district courts. All judges are appointed by the president but only on the nomination of the government. They serve until retirement at age 70. Judges may be removed for misbehavior or incapacity, upon the resolution of both houses of Parliament.
Any affected citizen may challenge a law passed by the Parliament by asking the courts to declare that the law contravenes (conflicts with) the Constitution. Challenges to the constitutionality of a law may be made only to the High Court or Supreme Court. The Constitution can be amended only by the people voting in a referendum held for that purpose. A referendum may be held only after the Parliament has passed a bill to allow it.
Local government
Ireland is divided into 26 geographical counties, which includes 29 administrative counties. Both County Dublin and County Tipperary have more than one administrative county. County Dublin has 3, and County Tipperary has 2. Ireland also has 5 cities (formerly known as county boroughs): Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford. Administrative counties and cities are governed by an elected council and a manager. In Limerick and Waterford, the city and county councils are combined.
Political parties
The Irish party system was deeply affected by the Irish Civil War, fought from 1922 to 1923. Members of Ireland’s independence movement, organized in the party Sinn Féin << shihn fayn >> , fought over the terms of the Treaty establishing Irish independence from the United Kingdom (see Irish Civil War). The winners of the civil war formed the Cumann na nGaedheal << koo MAHN na GAYL >> and later the Fine Gael << FIHN uh GAYL >> (United Ireland) parties. The losing side at first maintained the title of Sinn Féin, but most of its members left to form Fianna Fail << FEE uh nuh FAWL >> (Soldiers of Destiny). This party later became a dominant party in Irish politics, usually as a single-party government or as the leading party in coalitions.
Historically, Fianna Fail has been more concerned than Fine Gael with working towards Irish unification. Fianna Fail placed greater emphasis on maintaining the Irish language. But both parties largely shared views on economic management and such social issues as abortion, divorce, and same-sex marriage. In the past, Fianna Fail was more left wing and then became centrist; and Fine Gael was more right wing and became more centrist. Sinn Féin, the descendant of Ireland’s independence movement, has traditionally been a left-wing nationalist party. Sinn Féin embraced more moderate aims in the 2000’s, campaigning for affordable housing and health care.
Ireland has several smaller parties that are also significant. Important smaller parties include the Labour Party, the Green Party, and the Social Democrats. Historically, the Labour Party has been the largest left-wing party in the state. The Green Party is a liberal environmentalist party, and the Social Democrats are a left-leaning centrist party.
Ireland and the European Union
In 1973, Ireland joined the European Community (now called the European Union). Since then, the European Economic and Monetary Union and other institutions of the European Union have made an increasing number of decisions affecting the country.
