NOLDS; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John
BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Workers' Party
(vacant); Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY;
note - Prime Minister REYNOLDS heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna
Fail and the Progressive Democrats
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held 9 November 1990 (next to be held November 1997); results - Mary
Bourke ROBINSON 52.8%, Brian LENIHAN 47.2%
Senate:
last held on 17 February 1987 (next to be held February 1992); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 30,
Fine Gael 16, Labor 3, independents 11
House of Representatives:
last held on 12 July 1989 (next to be held June 1994); results - Fianna Fail
44.0%, Fine Gael 29.4%, Labor Party 9.3%, Progressive Democrats 5.4%,
Workers' Party 4.9%, Sinn Fein 1.1%, independents 5.9%; seats - (166 total)
Fianna Fail 77, Fine Gael 55, Labor Party 15, Workers' Party 7, Progressive
Democrats 6, independents 6
Communists:
under 500

:Ireland Government

Member of:
AG, BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO,
ITU, LORCS, NEA, NSG, OECD, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Dermot GALLAGHER; Chancery at 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3939; there are Irish Consulates
General in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
US:
Ambassador Richard A. MOORE; Embassy at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin;
telephone [353] (1) 688777; FAX [353] (1) 689-946
Flag:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar
to the flag of the Ivory Coast, 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

:Ireland Economy

Overview:
The economy is small, open, and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most
important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37% of GDP
and about 80% of exports and employs 26% of the labor force. The government
has successfully reduced the rate of inflation f