Short facts about the government of Ireland
| Country
name: |
conventional long
form: none
conventional short form:
Ireland |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Administrative divisions: |
26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare,
Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim,
Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo,
Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford,
Wicklow |
| Independence: |
6 December 1921 (from UK by
treaty) |
| National
holiday: |
Saint Patrick's Day, 17
March |
| Constitution: |
29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937
by plebiscite |
| Legal
system: |
based on English common law,
substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative
acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
head of
government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June
1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous
nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of
Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for
a seven-year term; election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA
November 2004); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and
appointed by the president
election results: Mary MCALEESE
elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI
29.6%
note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the
Progressive Democrats |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas
consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the
universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are
nominated by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House of
Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote
on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year
terms)
elections: Senate - last held NA August 1997 (next to be
held NA 2002); House of Representatives - last held 6 June 1997 (next to be held
NA 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 29, Fine Gael 16, Labor Party 4, Progressive
Democrats 4, others 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19, Progressive
Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Green Alliance 2, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7;
note - seats by party in the House of Representatives as of 1 January 2001 were
as follows: Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 54, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats
4, Green Alliance 2, Socialist Party 1, Sinn Fein 1, independents
7 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the
president on the advice of the prime minister and
cabinet) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Democratic Left [Proinsias DE ROSSA];
Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Michael NOONAN]; Green Party [Mary
BOWERS]; Labor Party [Ruairi QUINN]; Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY]; Sinn
Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Tom
FRENCH] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International organization participation: |
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD,
ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UN
Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
chancery: 2234
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1]
(202) 462-3939
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993
consulate(s)
general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San
Francisco |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael J. SULLIVAN
embassy: 42 Elgin
Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
mailing address: use embassy street
address
telephone: [353] (1)
668-7122/668-8777
FAX: [353] (1)
668-9946 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal vertical bands of green
(hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is
shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green;
also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green
(hoist side), white, and red | Source: World Factbook |
