Editing Politics of the Republic of Ireland

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{More citations needed|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox political system
| name                    = Politics of the Republic of Ireland
| image                   = Coat of arms of Ireland.svg
| image_size              = 160
| caption                 = [[Coat of Arms of Ireland|Coat of arms]]
| government              = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary democratic]] [[Republic]]
| constitution            = [[Constitution of Ireland]]
| legislature             = [[Oireachtas]]
| legislature_type        = [[Bicameral]]
| legislature_place       = [[Leinster House]]
| upperhouse              = [[Seanad Éireann]]
| upperhouse_speaker      = [[Jerry Buttimer]]
| upperhouse_speaker_title = [[Cathaoirleach]]
| upperhouse_appointer    = Indirect Election
| lowerhouse              = [[Dáil Éireann]]
| lowerhouse_speaker      = [[Verona Murphy]]
| lowerhouse_speaker_title = [[Ceann Comhairle]]
| lowerhouse_appointer    = [[Elections in the Republic of Ireland|Election]]
| title_hos               = [[President of Ireland]]
| current_hos             = [[Michael D. Higgins]]
| appointer_hos           = [[Irish presidential election|Election]]
| title_hog               = [[Taoiseach]]
| current_hog             = [[Micheál Martin]]
| appointer_hog           = President
| cabinet                 = [[Government of Ireland]]
| current_cabinet         = [[35th government of Ireland|35th government]]
| cabinet_leader          = [[Taoiseach]]
| cabinet_deputyleader    = [[Tánaiste]]
| cabinet_appointer       = Election by Oireachtas
| cabinet_hq              = [[Government Buildings]]
| cabinet_ministries      = [[Department of State (Ireland)|18]]
| judiciary               = [[Courts of the Republic of Ireland|Judiciary]]
| law                     = [[Law of the Republic of Ireland]]
| judiciary_head          = [[Chief Justice of Ireland]]
| court                   = [[Supreme Court of Ireland|Supreme Court]]
| chief_judge             = [[Donal O'Donnell]]
| court_seat              = [[Four Courts]], [[Dublin]]
| court1                  = [[Court of Appeal (Ireland)|Court of Appeal]]
| chief_judge1            = [[Caroline Costello]]
| court_seat1             = 
}}
{{PoliticsRofI}}
[[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] is a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]], [[representative democracy|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 of Ireland|government]].

[[Executive power]] is exercised by the [[Irish government|government]], which consists of no more than 15 cabinet ministers, inclusive of the Taoiseach and [[Tánaiste]] (the deputy head of government). [[Legislative power]] is vested in the [[Oireachtas]], the [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] national parliament, which consists of [[Dáil Éireann]], [[Seanad Éireann]] and the [[President of Ireland]]. The [[judiciary]] is [[Judicial independence|independent]] of the executive and the legislature. The head of the judiciary is the [[Chief Justice of Ireland|Chief Justice]], who presides over the [[Supreme Court of Ireland|Supreme Court]].

Ireland has 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, 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 (Ireland)|Labour Party]] the third party. The last three elections, however, have each had more volatile results. At the [[2011 Irish general election|2011 election]], the largest parties in order were Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-12585048|title=Irish election: Enda Kenny claims opposition victory|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=26 February 2011}}</ref> at the [[2016 Irish general election|2016 election]], the largest parties in order were Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and [[Sinn Féin]];<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35680750|title=Irish election: Enda Kenny admits coalition will not return|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=28 February 2016}}</ref> and at the [[2020 Irish general election|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51441410|title=Irish general election: Sinn Féin celebrate historic result|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=11 February 2020}}</ref>

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 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53201346|title=Micheál Martin becomes new Irish PM after historic coalition deal|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=27 June 2020}}</ref>

{{Democracy Index rating|Ireland|full democracy|2022}} According to the [[V-Dem Democracy indices]] Ireland was the "7th most electoral democratic country" in the world in 2023.<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite web |work=V-Dem Institute |date=2023 |title=The V-Dem Dataset |url=https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref>

==Constitution==
{{main|Constitution of Ireland}}
The state operates under the Constitution of Ireland ({{langx|ga|Bunreacht na hÉireann}}) which was adopted in 1937 by means of a plebiscite. The constitution falls within the [[liberal democracy|liberal democratic]] tradition. It defines the organs of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights. The Constitution can only be [[Amendments to the Constitution of Ireland|amended]] by means of a referendum. Important constitutional referendums have concerned issues such as [[Abortion in the Republic of Ireland|abortion]], the [[Catholic Church in Ireland|status of the Catholic Church]], [[Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|divorce]], the [[Ireland and the European Union|European Union]] and [[Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland|same-sex marriage]].

==President==
[[File:Aras as uachtarain.jpg|thumb|[[Áras an Uachtaráin]] in Dublin, official residence of the President of Ireland]]
{{main|President of Ireland}}

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 is open to all Irish citizens who are at least 35. They are directly elected by secret ballot under the [[instant-runoff voting|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 [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|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 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 (Ireland)|Council of State]]. There is no vice-president in Ireland. If for any reason 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 (Ireland)|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 a request of the Taoiseach for a dissolution of [[Dáil Éireann]], although no request for a dissolution has ever been refused.

==Legislative branch==
[[File:Leinsterhouse.jpg|thumb|[[Leinster House]] in Dublin, seat of the houses of the Oireachtas]]
{{main|Oireachtas}}

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 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.

===Dáil Éireann===
{{main|Dáil Éireann}}

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 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 the early 1980s, no single party has had a majority in Dáil Éireann, so that [[coalition government]]s have been the norm.

===Seanad Éireann===
{{main|Seanad Éireann}}
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, 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 [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|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 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 branch==
[[Image:Gbuildings.jpg|thumb|[[Government Buildings]] in Dublin]]
{{main|Government of Ireland}}

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), the [[Tánaiste]] (deputy prime minister) and up to thirteen other ministers. The [[Minister for Finance (Ireland)|Minister for Finance]] is the only other position named in the Constitution. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President, after being [[Dáil vote for Taoiseach|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 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.

==Judicial branch==
[[File:Dublin four courts.JPG|thumb|The [[Four Courts]] in Dublin]]
{{main|Courts of the Republic of Ireland}}

Ireland is a [[common law]] jurisdiction. The judiciary consists of the [[Supreme Court of Ireland|Supreme Court]], the [[Court of Appeal (Ireland)|Court of Appeal]] and the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]] established by the Constitution and other lower courts established by statute law. Judges are appointed by 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, {{lang|la|ex officio}} the Presidents of the Court of Appeal and the High Court. The Supreme Court rarely sits as 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.

==Public sector==
{{see also|State-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland}}

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 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 (Ireland)|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 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.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office]]|url=http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/earnings/current/psempearn.pdf|title=Public Sector Employment and Earnings|date=June 2005|access-date=1 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051231022806/http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/earnings/current/psempearn.pdf|archive-date=31 December 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Civil service===
{{main|Civil service of Ireland}}

The civil service of Ireland consists of two broad components, the ''Civil Service of the Government'' and 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.

===Public service===
{{main|Public service of the Republic of Ireland}}

The [[public services|public service]] is a relatively broad term and is not clearly defined and sometimes is taken to include 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 government in the Republic of Ireland|local authorities]], [[Education and Training Board]]s and [[Garda Síochána]] are considered to be public services.

==Local government==
{{main|Local government in the Republic of Ireland}}
Article 28A of the constitution of Ireland provides a constitutional basis for local government. The Oireachtas 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 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 City Council|Dublin]], [[Cork City Council|Cork]] and [[Galway City Council|Galway]]), and 2 City and County Councils ([[Limerick City and County Council|Limerick]] and [[Waterford City and County Council|Waterford]]).

==Political parties==
{{elect|Political parties in the Republic of Ireland|Elections in the Republic of Ireland}}
A number of political parties are represented in the [[Dáil Éireann|Dáil]] and [[coalition government]]s 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 the rise in support for other parties. Ireland's political landscape changed dramatically after the [[2020 Irish general election|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 republicanism|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 a government on the basis of a [[Populism|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 the [[2011 Irish general election|2011 general election]], going from 71 to 20 seats, its lowest ever. Its loss in support was mainly due to its handling of the [[Great Recession|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 is now known as the [[Workers' Party (Ireland)|Workers' Party]]). The [[History of Sinn Féin|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 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 [[Irish Republicanism|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|first-preference votes]] in the 2020 general election, but finished level with Fianna Fáil in overall seats once [[Single transferable vote|vote transfers]] had been counted.

The third-largest party in 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 (politics)|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 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 (Ireland)|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 the [[2011 Irish general election|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 centre-left [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] which was founded by [[James Connolly]] and [[Jim Larkin]] in 1912. Labour has formal links with 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 Irish general election|2011 general election]], becoming the second-largest party for the first time in its history, following the collapse in support for Fianna Fáil. In 2011, Labour went into [[Coalition government|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 Irish general election|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 the [[Great Recession|economic crisis]].

The fifth-largest Dáil party is the centre-left [[Social Democrats (Ireland)|Social Democrats]]. The Social Democrats were founded in 2015 and made gains at the 2020 and 2024 general elections.

The [[People Before Profit–Solidarity]] electoral alliance, consisting of [[People Before Profit]] and [[Solidarity (Ireland)|Solidarity]], is the 7th-largest party grouping within Dáil Éireann. Formed in 2015, the group represents a left-wing, socialist viewpoint.

[[Aontú]], a party formed in 2019 by Sinn Féin members who were opposed to [[Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|repealing the eighth amendment]], has two TDs.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-01-29 |title=Peadar Tóibín to name new political party 'Aontú' |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/peadar-t%C3%B3ib%C3%ADn-to-name-new-political-party-aont%C3%BA-1.3773803 |access-date=2025-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129015943/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/peadar-t%C3%B3ib%C3%ADn-to-name-new-political-party-aont%C3%BA-1.3773803 |archive-date=29 January 2019 }}</ref>

A party which gained at the 2024 election, was [[Independent Ireland]], a party formed in November 2023. The leader, [[Michael Collins (politician, born 1968)|Michael Collins]] has said that the party seeks to provide "a comfortable alternative" to voters unhappy with the [[Fianna Fáil]]–[[Fine Gael]]–[[Green Party (Ireland)|Green Party]] coalition but unwilling to vote for [[Sinn Féin]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-17 |title=Two TDs launch new political party as 'comfortable alternative' to Sinn Féin |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/two-tds-launch-new-political-party-as-comfortable-alternative-to-sinn-fein/a1511055709.html |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Irish Independent |language=en}}</ref> It has 4 TDs and one [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]].

Sixteen of the 174 TDs in the [[34th Dáil]] are [[Independent politician (Ireland)|Independent]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oireachtas |first=Houses of the |date=2025-02-27 |title=TDs & Senators – Houses of the Oireachtas |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=www.oireachtas.ie |language=en-ie}}</ref>

===Party details===
{{Details of political parties in the Republic of Ireland}}
<references group="nb"/>

===Party representation===
{{Party representation of political parties in the Republic of Ireland}}
<references group="ni"/>

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+33rd Irish general election – 8 February 2020<ref>{{Cite news
| url = https://www.irishtimes.com/election2020/results-hub
| title = Election 2020 National Summary
| newspaper = The Irish Times
| access-date = 2020-02-08
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/election-2020/results/#/national|title=General Election 2020 Results|date=9 February 2020|website=[[RTÉ News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irelandelection.com/elections.php?detail=yes&tab=summary&elecid=238&electype=1|website=Irish Elections|title=2020 General Election|access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref>
|-
| bgcolor=white colspan=11| [[File:Dáil Éireann after 2020 GE.svg|center|360px]]
|- style=" background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Party
! rowspan="2"|Leader
! colspan="3"|First-preference votes
! colspan="5"|Seats
|- style=" background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center"
! data-sort-type="number"| Votes
! data-sort-type="number"| % FPv{{efn|Parties are [[Political funding in Ireland#Public funding|entitled to public funding]] proportionate to their first-preference vote (subject to a minimum 2% FPv).<ref>{{cite web |title=Electoral Act 1997 |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1997/act/25/enacted/en/print#partiii |website=electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB) |access-date=13 February 2020 |page=Part III |no-pp=y |language=en}}; {{cite news |last1=Leogue |first1=Joe |title=Renua will continue to collect €250k despite having no elected representatives |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/renua-will-continue-to-collect-250k-despite-having-no-elected-representatives-930147.html |access-date=13 February 2020 |work=Irish Examiner |date=11 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref>}}
! data-sort-type="number"| [[Swing (politics)|Swing]] (pp)
! data-sort-type="number"| {{abbr|Cand.|Total candidates standing for each party}}<br /><ref name="AKavanagh">{{cite web|url=https://adriankavanaghelections.org/2017/04/19/candidates-for-the-next-2017-2021-general-election-by-constituency/|title=Candidates for the 2020 General Election by Dáil constituency|last=Kavanagh|first=Adrian Kavanagh|website=Irish Elections: Geography, Facts and Analyses|date=19 April 2017 |access-date=31 January 2020}}</ref>
! data-sort-type="number"| [[2016 Irish general election|{{abbr|2016|TDs elected to the party in 2016}}]]
! data-sort-type="number"| {{abbr|Out.|TDs in the party at the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil}}
! data-sort-type="number"| Elected<br />2020
! data-sort-type="number"| {{abbr|Change|Change in number of seats from the 2016 election to the 2020 election}}
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Sinn Féin}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="McDonald" |[[Mary Lou McDonald]]
|535,595
|24.5
|{{increase}}10.7
|42
|23
|22
|{{Composition bar|37|160|#326760|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{increase}}14
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Martin" |[[Micheál Martin]]
|484,320
|22.2
|{{decrease}}2.2
|84
|44
|45
|{{Composition bar|37|160|#3CB371|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{decrease}}6
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Fine Gael}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Varadker"|[[Leo Varadkar]]
|455,584
|20.9
|{{decrease}}4.7
|82
|49
|47
|{{Composition bar|35|160|#4169E1|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{decrease}}14
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Green Party (Ireland)}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Ryan" |[[Eamon Ryan]]
|155,700
|7.1
|{{increase}}4.4
|39
|2
|3
|{{Composition bar|12|160|#99CC33|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{increase}}10
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (Ireland)}}
| style="text-align:left;"  data-sort-value="Howlin"|[[Brendan Howlin]]
|95,588
|4.4
|{{decrease}}2.2
|31
|7
|7
|{{Composition bar|6|160|#DC143C|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{decrease}}1
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Social Democrats (Ireland)}}
| style="text-align:left;" nowrap="" data-sort-value="Murphy" |[[Catherine Murphy (politician)|Catherine Murphy]]<br />[[Róisín Shortall]]
|63,404
|2.9
|{{decrease}}0.1
|20
|3
|2
|{{Composition bar|6|160|#800080|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{increase}}3
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Solidarity–People Before Profit}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="-"|''Collective leadership''
|57,420
|2.6
|{{decrease}}1.3
|36
|6
|6
|{{Composition bar|5|160|#8E2420|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{decrease}}1
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Aontú}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Tóibín"|[[Peadar Tóibín]]
|41,614
|1.9
|''new party''
|26
|data-sort-value="0"|New
|1
|{{Composition bar|1|160|#44532A|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{increase}}1
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independents 4 Change}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="-"|''None''
|8,421
|0.4
|{{decrease}}1.1
|4
|4
|1
|{{Composition bar|1|160|#FFC0CB|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{decrease}}3
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Irish Freedom Party}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Kelly"|[[Hermann Kelly]]
|5,495
|0.3
|''new party''
|11
|data-sort-value="0"|New
|0
|{{Composition bar|0|160|#0d6638|background-color=|per=1}}
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Renua}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="-"|''Vacant''
|5,473
|0.3
|{{decrease}}1.9
|11
|0
|0
|{{Composition bar|0|160|#ffa500|background-color=|per=1}}
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|-
| {{Party name with colour|National Party (Ireland, 2016)}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Barrett"|[[Justin Barrett]]
|4,773
|0.2
|''new party''
|10
|data-sort-value="0"|New
|0
|{{Composition bar|0|160|#264a3c|background-color=|per=1}}
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Irish Democratic Party}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Smollen"|Ken Smollen
|2,611
|0.1
|{{increase}}0.1
|1
|0
|0
|{{Composition bar|0|160|#D3D3D3|background-color=|per=1}}
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Donnelly"|Michael Donnelly
|1,195
|0.1
|{{decrease}}0.1
|4
|0
|0
|{{Composition bar|0|160|#d73d3d|background-color=|per=1}}
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|-
| {{Party name with colour|United People}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Rudd"|Jeff Rudd
|43
|0.0
|''new party''
|1
|data-sort-value="0"|New
|0
|{{Composition bar|0|160|#D3D3D3|background-color=|per=1}}
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent politician (Ireland)}}
| style="text-align:left;" |—
|266,529
|12.2
|{{decrease}}3.7{{efn|name="IndepAll"|The 2016 figures include 4.2% first-preference votes and six TDs from the [[Independent Alliance (Ireland)|Independent Alliance]], which is not a political party.}}
|125
|19{{efn|name="IndepAll"}}
|22{{efn|name="IndepAll"}}
|{{Composition bar|19|160|#D3D3D3|background-color=|per=1}}
|{{steady}}0
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ceann Comhairle}}
| style="text-align:left;" data-sort-value="Ó Fearghaíl"|[[Seán Ó Fearghaíl]]
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|1
|1
|1
|{{Composition bar|1|160|#000000|background-color=|per=1}}
|0
|-
| colspan=3 | Spoilt votes
| 
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- class="sortbottom" style="font-weight:bold; background:rgb(232,232,232);"
| colspan=3 | Total
| 2,183,765
| 100%
| —
| 552<ref name="AKavanagh"/>
| 158
| 157
| 160
| {{increase}}2
|-
| colspan=3 | Registered voters/Turnout
| 
| 62.9%
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
|}

{{reflist|group="n"}}

==Foreign relations==
{{main|Foreign relations of the Republic of Ireland}}
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 the country. It is one of the group of smaller nations in the EU, and has traditionally followed a non-aligned foreign policy.

===Military neutrality===
Ireland tends towards independence in foreign policy, thus it is not a member of [[NATO]] and has a [[The Emergency (Ireland)#Neutrality|longstanding]] <!-- Triple Lock -UN - Government - Dáil --> 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 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==
[[Politics of Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland]] has been a major factor in Irish politics since the island of Ireland was divided between Northern Ireland and what is now the Republic in 1920. The creation of Northern Ireland led to conflict between northern [[Irish nationalism|nationalists]] (mostly [[Roman Catholic]]) who seek unification with the Republic and [[Unionist (Ireland)|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 the newly formed [[Irish Free State]], many [[Roman Catholics]] and [[Irish republicanism|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, 1st Viscount Craigavon|James Craig]] who was prime minister of [[Northern Ireland]] boasted of his [[A Protestant Parliament for a Protestant People|Protestant Parliament for a Protestant People]]. In the 1960s [[NICRA]] was set up to end discrimination between Catholics and Protestants. There was a massive backlash to this from sections of the [[Unionism in Ireland|Unionist]] community. This conflict exploded into violence in the late sixties with the beginning of the [[The Troubles|Troubles]], involving groups such as the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]], [[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] paramilitaries, the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary|police]] and the [[British army]], the latter originally drafted in to protect Catholic communities from loyalist violence. These clashes were to result in 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 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 the Republic, Fianna Fáil did not register as a party in [[Derry]] until December 2007,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7133848.stm |work=BBC News |title=Fianna Fáil accepted as NI party |date=7 December 2007 |access-date=23 May 2010 |archive-date=28 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728075707/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7133848.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> when it also began recruiting members at [[Queen's University Belfast|Queen's University]], [[Belfast]] although both are extremely small.

===North/South Ministerial Council===
{{main|North/South Ministerial Council}}

Under the [[Good Friday Agreement]] and [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland|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 the whole island of Ireland. The Implementation Bodies have limited executive authority in six policy areas. Meetings of the Council take the form of meetings between ministers from both the Republic's Government and the [[Northern Ireland Executive]]. The council was suspended from 2002 to 2007. However, with the resumption of devolved government in Northern Ireland in May 2007, the council has now re-assumed its duties.

==See also==
{{portal|Ireland}}
*[[Censorship in the Republic of Ireland]]
*[[Corruption in the Republic of Ireland]]
*[[Dáil constituencies]]
*[[Elections in the Republic of Ireland]]
*[[History of the Republic of Ireland]]
*[[History of Ireland]]
*[[List of Dáil by-elections]]
*[[Politics of Northern Ireland]]

==Further reading==
* John Coakley & Michael Gallagher (Editors)  ''Politics in the Republic of Ireland''  ([[Routledge]], 2004)<ref>{{cite book|title=Politics in the Republic of Ireland|first1=John|last1=Coakley|first2=Michael|last2=Gallagher|date=30 September 2004|publisher=Routledge|id={{ASIN|0415280672|country=uk}}}}</ref>
* Sean Dooney & John O'Toole  ''Irish Government Today'' (Gill & Macmillan Ltd., 1998)
* Neil Collins & Terry Cradden  ''Irish Politics Today'' (Manchester University Press, 2001)
* Noel Whelan  ''Politics, Elections and the Law'' (Blackhall Publishing, 2000)

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Politics of the Republic of Ireland}}
*[http://www.electionsireland.org ElectionsIreland.org] – Irish election results from 1920 to today.

{{Irish elections}}
{{Prime Ministers of Ireland}}
{{Ireland topics}}
{{Politics of Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics of the Republic of Ireland}}
[[Category:Politics of the Republic of Ireland| ]]