Oireachtas is the national parliament of the Republic of Ireland. It meets in Dublin at Leinster House, a large mansion built in the 1700’s.
The Oireachtas consists of the president, Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives), and Seanad Éireann (Senate). The taoiseach (prime minister) is a member of the Dáil.
The president,
who is head of state, is elected by the people for a seven-year term and is allowed to hold office twice. The president signs laws, calls Parliament into session, and approves ministerial appointments. As guardian of the constitution, the president may refuse to sign laws that appear unconstitutional until the Supreme Court approves them or the people vote for them in a referendum.
The taoiseach
is the head of the government. Leading a Cabinet of between 7 and 15 ministers, the taoiseach governs the affairs of the country. Most members of the Cabinet are members of the Dáil, but two may be appointed from the Seanad. The taoiseach is usually the leader of the majority party or of a coalition of parties in the Dáil. The taoiseach and the Cabinet are appointed for a term of not more than five years.
Dáil Éireann
makes the laws of the nation and controls all financial legislation. General elections are held at least once every five years to elect the 160 members of the Dáil. There are 39 electoral constituencies, each electing 3, 4, or 5 members.
The Dáil elects one of its members to preside over its meetings. This member, called the ceann comhairle, acts as an independent chairperson.
Seanad Éireann
has more limited powers than the Dáil. It can recommend new laws to the Dáil and suggest amendments to laws passed by the Dáil. But the Dáil can accept or reject the Seanad’s suggestions. The Seanad can delay a law passed by the Dáil for up to 90 days, but it cannot block it permanently.
The Seanad has 60 members who are appointed for five-year terms. The taoiseach chooses 11 members, and the National University of Ireland and Trinity College Dublin each elect 3 members. The remaining 43 are selected to represent interests in various fields. They are elected by about 1,100 voters from the Dáil, the Seanad, and from all the various local government authorities.
History.
Until the early 1920’s, all Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom and the Irish people elected representatives to the British Parliament in London.
In 1917, followers of the Sinn Fein movement established Dáil Éireann as an independent national council. In a general election in the following year, Sinn Fein candidates won 73 out of 105 Irish seats in the British Parliament. The newly elected members refused to go to London, insisting that the British Parliament had no authority to govern Ireland. Half of them were imprisoned or exiled by the British authorities. The remaining members met in Dublin in 1919 and proclaimed the independence of Ireland at a meeting of Dáil Éireann.
Under a treaty signed in 1921 and ratified in 1922, the United Kingdom agreed to give dominion status to 26 counties of Ireland. Six northern counties remained a part of the United Kingdom. The new dominion was called Saorstat Éireann (Irish Free State), and Dáil Éireann was recognized as its official government. In 1937, the Fianna Fail government abolished the oath of allegiance to the British Crown and Dáil Éireann approved a new Constitution. The Irish Free State formally became a republic in 1949.
See also Ireland .
