61-617: John Halligan (born 18 January 1955) is an Irish former independent politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency from 2011 to 2020. He also served as Minister of State from 2016 to 2020. He was elected to the Waterford City Council in 1999, for the Workers' Party . At the 2004 local elections , he topped the poll in Waterford No. 3 electoral area. He
122-529: A multi-party system . Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael , historically opposed and competing entities, which both occupy the traditional centre ground, trace their roots to the opposing sides of the Irish Civil War . All governments since 1932 have been led by one or the other party, with Fianna Fáil having had sufficient support at many elections to govern alone. Fluctuations in seat levels allowed changes in governments through different coalitions. From 1932 to 2011,
183-426: A full bench and normally hears cases in chambers of three, five or seven judges. The courts established by the constitution have the power of judicial review and may declare to be invalid both laws and acts of the state which are repugnant to the constitution. The Government, through the civil and public services and state-sponsored bodies, is a significant employer in the state; these three sectors are often called
244-463: A government on the basis of a populist programme of land redistribution and national preference in trade and republican populism remains a key part of its appeal. It has formed government seven times since Ireland gained independence: 1932–1948, 1951–1954, 1957–1973, 1977–1981, 1982, 1987–1994, and 1997–2011. Fianna Fáil was the largest party in the Dáil from 1932 to 2011. It lost a huge amount of support in
305-554: A pact with Fine Gael and the Labour Party on Waterford City Council . As a result, he was duly elected Mayor of Waterford , serving from 2009 to 2010. He was elected as a TD for the Waterford constituency at the 2011 general election , receiving 5,546 first preference votes (10.3%) and was elected on the 11th count. Following his election to the Dáil in February 2011, Sean Reinhardt
366-548: A party formed in 2019 by politicians who left Sinn Féin, has one TD, as does Right to Change , a left-wing, socialist political party formed after the 2020 election. Nineteen of the 160 TDs in the 33rd Dáil are Independent . Ireland's foreign relations are substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union , although bilateral relations with the United States and United Kingdom are also important to
427-517: A referendum. Important constitutional referendums have concerned issues such as abortion , the status of the Catholic Church , divorce , the European Union and same-sex marriage . The head of state is the President of Ireland. In keeping with the state's parliamentary system of government, the President exercises a mainly ceremonial role but does possess certain specific powers. The presidency
488-733: A request of the Taoiseach for a dissolution of Dáil Éireann , although no request for a dissolution has ever been refused. Article 15 of the Constitution of Ireland established the Oireachtas as the national parliament of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the President of Ireland and two elected houses: Dáil Éireann (the House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (the Senate). As the Oireachtas also consists of
549-567: A strongly pro-European outlook. Fine Gael was formed in 1933 out of a merger of Cumann na nGaedheal (which had split from the original Sinn Féin in 1922), the National Centre Party and the paramilitary Blueshirts organisation. In more recent years it has generally been associated with a liberal, progressive, outlook. Fine Gael has formed governments in the periods 1922–1932 (as Cumann na nGaedheal), 1948–1951, 1954–1957, 1973–1977, 1981–1982, 1982–1987, 1994–1997, and from 2011 to present. In
610-410: A two-tier structure of local government. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 abolished the bottom tier, the town councils, leaving 31 local authorities. There are 26 County Councils ( County Dublin having been divided into three council areas), 3 City Councils ( Dublin , Cork and Galway ), and 2 City and County Councils ( Limerick and Waterford ). A number of political parties are represented in
671-512: Is a parliamentary , representative democratic republic and a member state of the European Union . While the head of state is the popularly elected President of Ireland , it is a largely ceremonial position, with real political power being vested in the Taoiseach , who is nominated by the Dáil and is the head of the government . Executive power is exercised by the government , which consists of no more than 15 cabinet ministers, inclusive of
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#1733092504719732-519: Is consensus among the political parties to nominate a single candidate, it is unnecessary to proceed to a ballot and that candidate is deemed elected. The President is elected to a seven-year term of office and no person may serve more than two terms. In carrying out certain of their constitutional functions, the President is aided by the Council of State . There is no vice-president in Ireland. If for any reason
793-539: Is empowered to establish the number, size and powers of local authorities by law. Under Article 28A, members of local authorities must be directly elected by voters at least once every five years. Local government in Ireland is governed by a series of Local Government Acts, beginning with the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 . The most significant of these is the Local Government Act 2001 , which established
854-503: Is now known as the Workers' Party ). The original Sinn Féin party played a major role in the Irish War of Independence and the First Dáil , and both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil trace their origins to this party, having split from it in 1922 and 1926, respectively. The current-day party split from this older Sinn Féin in a dispute over political ideology and a perceived lack of support for
915-512: Is now the Republic in 1920. The creation of Northern Ireland led to conflict between northern nationalists (mostly Roman Catholic ) who seek unification with the Republic and Unionists (mostly Protestant ) who opposed British plans for Irish Home Rule and wished for Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom. After the formation of Northern Ireland in 1921 following its opt out from
976-440: Is open to all Irish citizens who are at least 35. They are directly elected by secret ballot under the alternative vote . A candidate may be nominated for election as president by no fewer than 20 members of the Oireachtas or by four or more of Ireland's 31 County and City Councils . A retiring President may nominate themselves as a candidate for re-election. If only one valid candidate is nominated for election, for example if there
1037-465: The 2011 general election , Fine Gael won 78 seats, its highest ever total, and a massive increase from the previous election. The fourth-largest party in the Dáil is the Green Party , which made significant gains at the 2020 general election. The fifth largest party in the Dáil is the centre-left Labour Party which was founded by James Connolly and Jim Larkin in 1912. Labour has formal links with
1098-464: The 2011 general election , going from 71 to 20 seats, its lowest ever. Its loss in support was mainly due to its handling of the 2008 economic recession . It has since regained some support, but is yet to recover to its pre-2011 levels. The other joint-largest party is Sinn Féin , established in its current form in 1970 as a breakaway faction from the original political party of the same name (the remaining part has had several changes of name since, and
1159-466: The 2020 election , the largest parties were Fianna Fáil first in seats (second in votes), Sinn Féin second in seats (first in votes), and then Fine Gael. The result was historically good for Sinn Féin. In June 2020, leader of Fianna Fáil, Micheál Martin , became the new Taoiseach (head of government). He formed a historic three-party coalition consisting of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. It
1220-517: The Civil Service of the State . Whilst these two components are largely theoretical, they do have some fundamental operational differences. The civil service is expected to maintain the political impartiality in its work, and some sections of it are entirely independent of Government decision making. The public service is a relatively broad term and is not clearly defined and sometimes is taken to include
1281-593: The Congo Crisis ONUC ) and subsequently in Cyprus ( UNFICYP ), Lebanon ( UNIFIL ), Iran/Iraq Border ( UNIIMOG ), Bosnia and Herzegovina ( SFOR & EUFOR Althea ), Ethiopia and Eritrea ( UNMEE ), Liberia ( UNMIL ), East Timor ( INTERFET ), Darfur and Chad ( EUFOR Tchad/RCA ). Northern Ireland has been a major factor in Irish politics since the island of Ireland was divided between Northern Ireland and what
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#17330925047191342-407: The Dáil and coalition governments are common. The Irish electoral system has been historically characterised as a two-and-a-half party system , with two large catch-all parties, this being the centre-right Fine Gael and the centrist Fianna Fáil , dominating, and the "half-party", being Labour. This changed after the 2011 general election, following the large drop in support for Fianna Fáil and
1403-485: The European Parliament : Luke 'Ming' Flanagan MEP for Midlands–North-West since 2014 , and Michael McNamara MEP for South since 2024. The current President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins was elected in 2011 having been nominated by Labour Party members of the Oireachtas, but re-elected in 2018 on his own nomination. Key for government column: Politics of the Republic of Ireland Ireland
1464-734: The Second World War . He rejoined Fine Gael in 1953 and became leader in 1959. In 2009, Mary Harney continued as Minister for Health as an independent member of the government after the dissolution of the Progressive Democrats , and served until 2011. After the 2016 general election , 3 independent TDs were appointed to a minority Fine Gael–Independent government on 6 May 2016: Denis Naughten as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment , Shane Ross as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport , and Katherine Zappone as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs . Ross
1525-535: The Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) and up to thirteen other ministers. The Minister for Finance is the only other position named in the Constitution. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President, after being nominated by Dáil Éireann . The remaining ministers are nominated by the Taoiseach and appointed by the President following their approval by the Dáil. The Government must enjoy the confidence of Dáil Éireann and, in
1586-431: The economic crisis . The sixth-largest Dáil party is the centre-left Social Democrats . The Social Democrats were founded in 2015 and made gains at the 2020 general election. The People Before Profit–Solidarity electoral alliance, consisting of People Before Profit and Solidarity , is the 7th-largest party grouping within Dáil Éireann. Formed in 2015, the group represents a left-wing, socialist viewpoint. Aontú ,
1647-431: The government do not have a majority in the Dáil, they will usually be dependent on independent TDs in votes of confidence or to pass the budget . This can be by formal arrangement with the government. In the first inter-party government (1948–1951), James Dillon served as Minister for Agriculture . He was an independent TD, having left Fine Gael in 1942 because he disagreed with the policy of neutrality during
1708-604: The public sector . Management of these various bodies vary, for instance in the civil service there will be clearly defined routes and patterns whilst among public services a sponsoring minister or the Minister for Finance may appoint a board or commission. Commercial activities, where the state involves itself, are typically through the state-sponsored bodies which are usually organised in a similar fashion to private companies. A 2005 report on public sector employment, showed that in June 2005
1769-699: The 1960s NICRA was set up to end discrimination between Catholics and Protestants. There was a massive backlash to this from sections of the Unionist community. This conflict exploded into violence in the late sixties with the beginning of the Troubles , involving groups such as the Provisional IRA , loyalist paramilitaries, the police and the British army , the latter originally drafted in to protect Catholic communities from loyalist violence. These clashes were to result in
1830-417: The Dáil is Fine Gael , which has its origins in the pro-Treaty faction of Michael Collins in the Irish Civil War . Traditionally regarded as the party of law and order , it is associated with strong belief in pro-enterprise and reward. Despite expressions of Social Democracy by previous leader Garret FitzGerald, today, it remains a Christian democratic , economically liberal party along European lines, with
1891-528: The Dáil on such bills. No more than two members of a government may be members of the Seanad, and only twice since 1937 have members of the Seanad been appointed to government. Executive authority is exercised by a cabinet known simply as the Government . Article 28 of the Constitution states that the Government may consist of no less than seven and no more than fifteen members, namely the Taoiseach (prime minister),
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1952-667: The President after being nominated by the Government and can be removed from office only for misbehaviour or incapacity, and then only by resolution of both houses of the Oireachtas. The final court of appeal is the Supreme Court, which consists of the Chief Justice, nine ordinary judges and, ex officio the Presidents of the Court of Appeal and the High Court. The Supreme Court rarely sits as
2013-635: The President is unable to carry out their functions, or if the Office of President is vacant, the duties of the President are carried out by the Presidential Commission . The President may not veto bills passed by the Oireachtas but may, after consultation with the Council of State, refer them to the Supreme Court of Ireland for a ruling on whether they comply with the constitution. The President may refuse
2074-479: The President, the title of the two law-making houses is the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Dáil is by far the dominant house of the legislature. Members of the Dáil are directly elected at least once in every five years under the single transferable vote form of proportional representation from multi-seat constituencies. Membership of the house is open to all Irish citizens who are at least 21 and permanently resident in
2135-551: The Republic, Fianna Fáil did not register as a party in Derry until December 2007, when it also began recruiting members at Queen's University , Belfast although both are extremely small. Under the Good Friday Agreement and Article 3 of the Constitution a North-South Ministerial Council and six North-South Implementation Bodies co-ordinate activities and exercise a limited governmental role within certain policy areas across
2196-597: The State. The electorate consists of all Irish and British citizens resident in Ireland over the age of 18. Members of the Dáil are known as Teachta Dála or TDs. As of 2021, there are 160 TDs, of which one, the Ceann Comhairle (Presiding Officer), is automatically returned at an election. The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance must be members of the Dáil. The Dáil is the only House which can introduce and amend money bills (i.e. financial and tax legislation). Since
2257-513: The Taoiseach and Tánaiste (the deputy head of government). Legislative power is vested in the Oireachtas , the bicameral national parliament, which consists of Dáil Éireann , Seanad Éireann and the President of Ireland . The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The head of the judiciary is the Chief Justice , who presides over the Supreme Court . Ireland has
2318-643: The Workplace Relations Commission found that he had violated equality legislation by asking a candidate "Do you have children? How old are your children?" during a job interview; the WRC ordered the minister's department to pay €7,500 to the candidate. He retired from the Dáil at the 2020 general election on 8 February, continuing in office as a junior minister until the formation of a new government on 27 June 2020. Independent politician (Ireland) Independent politicians contest elections without
2379-413: The civil service. The public service proper consists of Government agencies and bodies which provide services on behalf of the Government but are not the core civil service. For instance local authorities , Education and Training Boards and Garda Síochána are considered to be public services. Article 28A of the constitution of Ireland provides a constitutional basis for local government. The Oireachtas
2440-447: The collapse in support for Fianna Fáil. In 2011, Labour went into coalition with Fine Gael, who had also won a record number of seats. Labour retained its place as one of Ireland's three largest parties up until the 2016 general election , when it suffered the worst general election defeat in its history, gaining just 7 seats. Much of this was due to being part of a government that had introduced unpopular austerity measures to deal with
2501-422: The constituency, and for local elections with the assent of 15 electors in the local electoral area . They may choose to have the designation non-party next to their name on the ballot paper. In Seanad elections and presidential elections , candidates are not nominated by parties directly, and party labels do not appear on the ballot. In the case of minority governments , where the party or parties forming
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2562-516: The country. It is one of the group of smaller nations in the EU, and has traditionally followed a non-aligned foreign policy. Ireland tends towards independence in foreign policy, thus it is not a member of NATO and has a longstanding policy of military neutrality. This policy has helped the Irish Defence Forces to be successful in their contributions to UN peace-keeping missions since 1960 (in
2623-514: The early 1980s, no single party has had a majority in Dáil Éireann, so that coalition governments have been the norm. The Seanad is a largely advisory body. It consists of sixty members called Senators. An election for the Seanad must take place no later than 90 days after a general election for the members of the Dáil. Eleven Senators are nominated by the Taoiseach while a further six are elected by certain national universities. The remaining 43 are elected from special vocational panels of candidates,
2684-469: The electorate for which consists of the 60 members of the outgoing Senate, the 160 TDs of the incoming Dáil and the 883 elected members of 31 local authorities . The Seanad has the power to delay legislative proposals and is allowed 90 days to consider and amend bills sent to it by the Dáil (excluding money bills). The Seanad is only allowed 21 days to consider money bills sent to it by the Dáil. The Seanad cannot amend money bills but can make recommendations to
2745-526: The event that they cease to enjoy the support of the lower house, the Taoiseach must either resign or request the President to dissolve the Dáil, in which case a general election follows. Ireland is a common law jurisdiction. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court , the Court of Appeal and the High Court established by the Constitution and other lower courts established by statute law. Judges are appointed by
2806-407: The newly formed Irish Free State , many Roman Catholics and Republicans were discriminated against. The abolition of Proportional Representation and the gerrymandering of constituency boundaries led to Unionists being over-represented at Stormont and at Westminster. Even James Craig who was prime minister of Northern Ireland boasted of his Protestant Parliament for a Protestant People . In
2867-409: The numbers employed in the public sector stood at 350,100; of these by sector they were 38,700 (civil service), 254,100 (public service) and 57,300 (state-sponsored). The total workforce of the state was 1,857,400 that year, thus the public sector represents approximately 20% of the total workforce. The civil service of Ireland consists of two broad components, the Civil Service of the Government and
2928-456: The parties were stable in their support, with Fianna Fáil the largest at each election, Fine Gael the second largest, and on all but two occasions, the Labour Party the third party. The last three elections, however, have each had more volatile results. At the 2011 election , the largest parties in order were Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil; at the 2016 election , the largest parties in order were Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin ; and at
2989-430: The rise in support for other parties. Ireland's political landscape changed dramatically after the 2020 general election , when Sinn Féin made gains to become the joint-largest party in the Dáil, making Ireland a three party system. Fianna Fáil , a traditionally Irish republican party founded in 1927 by Éamon de Valera , is the joint-largest party in the Dáil and considered centrist in Irish politics. It first formed
3050-634: The so-called “armed struggle” against British rule in Northern Ireland, and as a result the newer party has been historically linked to the Provisional IRA . The party is a Republican party which takes a strongly left wing stance on economics and social policy, placing it to the left of the Labour party. Sinn Féin received the highest share of first-preference votes in the 2020 general election, but finished level with Fianna Fáil in overall seats once vote transfers had been counted. The third-largest party in
3111-593: The stated long-term policy of governments of what is now the Republic to bring an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland and to bring about a united Ireland . Northern Ireland has also, in the past, often been a source of tension between the Irish Government and the government of the United Kingdom. To find a solution to the Troubles the Irish Government became a partner in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. While Sinn Féin have long organised in both Northern Ireland and
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#17330925047193172-404: The support of a political party. They have played a continuous role in the politics of the Republic of Ireland since its independence in 1922. If a candidate is not the candidate of a registered political party , they may be nominated for elections to Dáil Éireann with the assent of 30 electors in the constituency , for elections to the European Parliament with the assent of 60 electors in
3233-577: The suspension of the Stormont Parliament and unsuccessful efforts by the British Government to encourage a power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland which were only realised following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The Troubles caused thousands of deaths in Northern Ireland but also spilled over into bombings and acts of violence in England and the Republic. Since its foundation it has been
3294-417: The trade union movement and has governed in seven coalition governments – six led by Fine Gael and one by Fianna Fáil. This recurring role as a junior coalition partner has led to Labour being classed as the "half" party in Ireland's "two-and-a-half party system". Labour won a record number of seats, 37, at the 2011 general election , becoming the second-largest party for the first time in its history, following
3355-533: Was a member of the Independent Alliance , and other members of the Independent Alliance were appointed as Ministers of State . Naughten resigned as minister on 11 October 2018. Ross and Zappone served until the appointment of a new government on 27 June 2020. At the 2024 local elections , independents won 178 of the 949 seats on city and county councils . Two independent MEPs represent Ireland in
3416-506: Was an unsuccessful Workers' Party candidate for the Waterford constituency at the 2002 and 2007 general elections. In February 2008, he resigned from the Workers' Party, when the party refused to drop its opposition to service charges, which Halligan supported. In 2009, as an Independent candidate, Halligan again topped the poll in his area. After the 2009 local elections , Halligan entered into
3477-595: Was appointed by the new government a Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills and at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation with responsibility for Training and Skills. On 20 June 2017, after Leo Varadkar succeeded Kenny as Taoiseach, Halligan was appointed by the government as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills and at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation with responsibility for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development. In November 2017,
3538-404: Was co-opted to replace Halligan on Waterford City Council. In March 2011, Halligan joined the Dáil technical group allowing himself more speaking time in Dáil debates. On 15 December 2011, he helped launch a nationwide campaign against a proposed household charge being brought in as part of the 2012 budget . He joined the Independent Alliance upon its inception in 2015. On 27 February 2016, he
3599-414: Was re-elected as a TD for Waterford at the general election , receiving 8,306 first preference votes and was elected on the 8th count. After prolonged talks on government formation , the Independent Alliance supported the nomination of Enda Kenny as Taoiseach on 6 May 2016, allowing Kenny to become the first Leader of Fine Gael to be re-elected to the office of Taoiseach. On 19 May 2016, Halligan
3660-410: Was the "7th most electoral democratic country" in the world in 2023. The state operates under the Constitution of Ireland ( Irish : Bunreacht na hÉireann ) which was adopted in 1937 by means of a plebiscite. The constitution falls within the liberal democratic tradition. It defines the organs of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights. The Constitution can only be amended by means of
3721-541: Was the first time in history that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were in the same government. The previous Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael, Leo Varadkar , became the Tánaiste (deputy head of government). Martin led the country as Taoiseach until 17 December 2022, when he changed posts with Varadkar. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Ireland a " full democracy " in 2022. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Ireland
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