At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Ireland

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Michael D. HIGGINS
• Head of Government: Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo VARADKAR
• Assembly: Ireland has a bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) that consists of the Senate (Seanad Éireann) with 60 seats and the House of Representatives (Dail Éireann) with 166 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by a majority system with preferential vote to serve a 7-year term. The presidential term is renewable once. The electoral system is alternative vote. The President is a member of Parliament ex officio.
• The Prime Minister (Taoiseach) is nominated by the House of Representatives and 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 prime minister to serve 5-year terms and 6 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 5-year terms.
  • ​43 members are elected by five panels representing vocational interests. 6 are elected by graduates of two colleges.
• 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. One seat is reserved for the Speaker of the House. There are 43 multi-member districts with magnitudes from 3 to 5.

Main candidates in the election:

• Michael D Higgins
  • Party: Independent*
• Sean Gallagher
  • Independent
• Liadh Ni Riada
  • Party: We Ourselves/Sinn Féin 
• Gavin Duffy
  • Independent
• Joan Freeman
  • Independent
• Peter Casey
  • Independent

 * Mr. Higgins has support from three parties: Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, and the Labour Party.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 4,803,748 (2018 est.)
• Registered Voters: 3,202,442 (2011)

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 2,420,456 (2018 est.)
• Is Ireland a signatory to CEDAW: N/A
• Has Ireland ratified CEDAW: Yes, Accession (23 December 1985)
• Gender Quota: Yes (Parliament)
• Female candidates in this election: Yes
• Number of Female Parliamentarians: 35 (Parliament); 18 (Senate)
• Human Development Index Position: 8
• 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: 733,846