At stake in this election:

• 165 seats in the House of Representatives (Dail Eireann)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Mary MCALEESE
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN
• Assembly: Ireland has a bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) consisting of the Senate (Seanad Eireann) with 60 seats and the House of Representatives (Dail Eireann) with 166 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 7-year term.
• In the Senate (Seanad Eireann), 49 members are elected in single-member constituencies and 11 members are nominated by popular vote. In the House of Representatives (Dail Eireann) 166 members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation.**

** The speaker of the Dail is returned automatically.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Fianna Fail
  • Leader: Bertie AHERN
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 81
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 77
• Party: Fine Gael
  • Leader: Michael NOONAN
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 31
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 54
• Party: Labour Party
  • Leader: Ruairi QUINN
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 21
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 17
• Party: Progressive Democrats
  • Leader: Mary HARNEY
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 8
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 4
• Party: Green Party / Trevor SARGENT
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 6
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 2
• Party: Sinn Fein
  • Leader: Gerry ADAMS
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 5
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 1
• Party: Other Parties
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 14
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held June 6, 1997.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 3,931,347 (2002)
• Registered Voters: 3,002,173 (2002)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,972,661 (2002)

·         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: 22 (House of Representatives); 10 (Senate) (following the 2002 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: 589,702 (est.)