In practice, the president’s impact on the legislative process is not very big. However, the Constitution envisages the President as more than a ceremonial Head of State and gives him or her certain powers to act as the guardian of the Constitution.

The President is aided by the Council of State, an advisory body but normally the President acts on the advice and authority of the Government.

The current Irish President is Mary McAleese. She won the elections in 1997.

The President is elected by direct vote from the people (aged 18 years and over) for a term of 7 years, additionally the President can be re-elected only once.

By the way, there is no Vice-President. If the President dies in office or is removed, the Constitution provides for a Commission to act in the President’s place. This Commission would consist of the Chief Justice, the Chairman of the House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Senate.

Now a few presidental functions and rights:

First of all, the President has to sign bills before they may be

The 2nd House of Parliament is the Seanad Eireann, often referred to as the Upper House. The Senate meets less frequently than the Dail(normally on Wednesday and Thursday), and is constantly under attack for its very existence. Its complicated and indirect system of election and its lack of power are only 2 reasons which make it unintersting to either the public or the political commentators.

The Deputies will often be members of , for instance, a local authority or health board, too. So they maintain close link with local people, groups and organisations and attendance at meetings of the House of Representatives and its many specialist committees. These committees advise on a wide range of legaslative, social, economic and financial business.

Departments of State are, for example, the Department of Agriculture, Food & Rural Development, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, the Department of Defence, the Department of Education & Science, or the Department of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Altogether there are 15 Departments. Ministers of State, who are not members of the Government, assist Government Ministers in their Parliamentary and Departmental work.

The Senate’s 60 members are called Senators.

However, the Constitution gives a majority of the Senate, together with not less than a third of the Dail, the power to petition the President to refer a bill directly to the people (for a referendum) if ,quotation,“it contains a proposal of such national importance that the will of the people thereon ought to be ascertained.”

The Constitution provides that the Government shall consist of not less than seven and not more than fifteen members. The Head of the Government is the Taoiseach PM, who is appointed by the President on the nomination of the Dáil. The Taoiseach nominates one member of Government to act in place of the PM if the PM is temporarily absent or becomes incapacitated. The Prime Minister, the Tánaist

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