Irish Government
The Government (Irish: Rialtas) is the official title of the cabinet that constitutes the executive branch of government in the Republic of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach, and a deputy prime minister called the TÃÂánaiste. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President after being designated by DÃÂáil ÃÂÃÂireann (the lower house of parliament). The President then appoints the remaining ministers after they have been chosen by the Taoiseach and approved by the DÃÂáil. The Government must enjoy the confidence of the DÃÂáil if it is to remain in office.
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2 26th Government (2002-present) 3 Origins 4 List of Governments 5 Footnotes 6 See also 7 External link |
The Constitution of Ireland is unusual among republican constitutions in that it does not make the President at least the nominal chief executive officer, but rather explicitly vests executive authority in the Government. The Irish cabinet is therefore not referred to as His or Her Excellency's Government. Under the constitution the Government must consist of between seven and fifteen members. Every member of the Government must be a member of the Oireachtas (parliament), but no more than two members may be chosen from the Senate, and the Taoiseach, TÃÂánaiste and Minister of Finance must all be members of the DÃÂáil. In the event that the Taoiseach ceases "to retain the support of a majority in DÃÂáil ÃÂÃÂireann"1 there must either be a dissolution of the DÃÂáil or the Taoiseach must resign. The President may, however, refuse to grant a dissolution to a Taoiseach who does not enjoy the support of the DÃÂáil, and thus force their resignation. When the Taoiseach resigns, the entire Government is deemed to have vacated office collectively. The Taoiseach can also direct the President to dismiss or accept the resignation of individual ministers. In any circumstance in which the Taoiseach or cabinet have been removed from office, however, they continue to exercise their powers until a successor, or successors, have been appointed. The executive authority of the Government is subject to certain limitations. In particular:
Overview
If the Government fails to fulfill its constitutional duties, it may be ordered to do so by a court of law, by writ of mandamus. Ministers who fail to comply may, ultimately, be found to be in contempt of court, and even imprisoned.
The Government was created by the 1937 Constitution of Ireland. It was preceded by the Executive Council of the 1922-1937 Irish Free State. Since the 1990s it has been common for Irish cabinets to consist of coalitions of two or more parties. The position of TÃÂánaiste is often held by the smallest of the two largest coalition partners.26th Government (2002-present)
Main article: Government of the 29th DÃÂáilOrigins
Footnotes
1. Article 28, Section 10 of the Constitution of Ireland.