Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists
of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats—49 elected by the
universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational
panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; members serve
five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann
(166 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate—last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); House of Representatives—last held 6 June 1997 (next to be
held NA 2002)
election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by
party—NA; House of Representatives—percent of vote by party—NA;
seats by party—Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19,
Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Greens 2, Sinn Fein 1,
independents 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president
on the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)
Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Labor
note: Prime Minister AHERN heads a two-party coalition consisting of
Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats; Democratic Left merged
into the Labor Party on 1 February 1999
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS,
CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG,
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer),
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael SULLIVAN
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
mailing address: use embassy street address
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed—orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red
Economy
Economy—overview: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging 9.5% in 1995-98. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 39% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Over the past decade, the Irish government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb inflation, reduce government spending, and promote foreign investment. Although the unemployment rate has been halved, it remains high, and job creation is a primary concern of government policy. Recent efforts have concentrated on improving workers qualifications and the education system. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$67.1 billion (1998 est.)