At stake in this election:

• 166 seats in the House of Representatives (Dáil Éireann)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Mary MCALEESE *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Brian COWEN
• Assembly: Ireland has a bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) consisting of the Senate (Seanad Éireann) with 60 seats and the House of Representatives (Dáil Éireann) with 166 seats.

* The presidential term is renewable once. The electoral system is alternative vote. The President is a member of Parliament ex officio.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by a majority system with preferential vote to serve a 7-year term.
• The Prime Minister (Taoiseach) is appointed by the President.
• In the Senate (Seanad Éireann), 43 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 5-year terms, 11 members are appointed by the President to serve 5-year terms and 6 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 5-year terms*. In the House of Representatives (Dáil Éireann) 166 members are elected through a single transferable vote (STV) proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms.**

* 43 members are elected by five panels representing vocational interests. Six are elected by graduates of two colleges.

** One seat is reserved for the Speaker of the House. There are 43 multi-member districts with magnitudes from 3 to 5.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Soldiers of Destiny – The Republican Party / Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach
  • Leader: Micheál MARTIN
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 20
• Party: Family of the Irish / Fine Gael
  • Leader: Enda KENNY
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 76
• Party: Labour Party / Páirtí an Lucht Oibre
  • Leader: Eamon GILMORE
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 37
• Party: Green Party / Comhaontas Glas
  • Leader: John GORMLEY
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 0
• Party: Sinn Féin
  • Leader: Gerry ADAMS
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 14

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 4,576,794 (2011)
• Registered Voters: 3,209,177 (February 2011)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 2,295,988 (2011)

·         Is Ireland a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Ireland ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (23 December 1985)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 25 (House of Representatives); 18 (Senate) (following the 2011 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 6 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Ireland a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Ireland ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 686,519 (est.)