Ireland
Parliamentary Elections
Electoral system
- Bicameral parliament
- Chamber name: House of Representatives (Dáil Éireann)
- Members (lower house): 166
- Term: 5 years
- Constituencies: 42 multi-member (3 to 5 seats) constituencies.
- Voting system: Proportional representation under the single transferable vote system. According to this system, each voter receives a ballot paper containing the names of all the candidates in his/her constituency. He/she votes for one of these by writing the figure 1 opposite the name of his/her choice; the voter is then at liberty to indicate an order of preference for the other candidates by adding the figures 2, 3, 4, etc. against their names. At the opening of the count, the ballot papers are thoroughly mixed and sorted according to the first preferences recorded. The total number of valid papers is then computed, and from that figure the electoral quota is calculated through division by the number of seats to be filled, plus one. Candidates who obtain a number of first preferences equal to or greater than this quota on the first count are declared elected. If no candidate has reached the quota, the candidate who received the lowest number of votes is eliminated and his/her votes are transferred to the candidate for whom a second preference is recorded. If a candidate receives more than the quota required for election, the surplus votes are transferred proportionately to the remaining candidates in accordance with the subsequent preferences expressed by the electors. When the number of remaining candidates neither elected nor eliminated equals the number of vacancies to be filled, those candidates are declared elected, although they may not have reached the quota.
- Voter requirements: 18 years of age; Irish or British citizenship; ordinary residence in the constituency (postal voting possible in some cases).
- Voting is not compulsory.
Latest elections
Fine Gael and the Labour Party agreed to form a coalition Government under the premiership of the Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, following an early general election on 25 February, which had resulted in an historic defeat for the traditionally dominant Fianna Fáil party. The election had been precipitated by the collapse of the governing coalition comprising Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, amid discontent regarding the Government’s handling of the country’s recent financial crisis, with particular criticism directed at the Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Brian Cowen. Fine Gael won 76 of the 166 seats in the Dáil (the lower house of parliament) and the Labour Party 37 seats, while Fianna Fáil’s representation declined from 78 seats at the previous election to 20 seats and the Green Party failed to retain a single seat. Sinn Féin increased its number of seats from four to 14, including the election to the Dáil of its President, Gerry Adams.
Election results 2011, main parties. Constituency level
Sources
Stöver, Philip and Andreas M. Wüst. 2005. Electoral systems.
Inter-Parliamentary Union, PARLINE database on national parliaments
Department of the Environment & Local Government, Election results.
