November
2004); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and
appointed by the president

election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote
- Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%

note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive
Democrats

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 - Fianna Fail 29, Fine Gael 16, Labor Party 4, Progressive
Democrats 4, others 7; 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, Green Alliance
2, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7; note - seats by party in the House
of Representatives as of 1 January 2001 were as follows: Fianna Fail
76, Fine Gael 54, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 4, Green
Alliance 2, Socialist Party 1, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on
the advice of the prime minister and cabinet)

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Left [Proinsias DE ROSSA];
Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Michael NOONAN]; Green Party
[Mary BOWERS]; Labor Party [Ruairi QUINN]; Progressive Democrats
[Mary HARNEY]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe
HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Tom FRENCH]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

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, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM,
UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer),
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic repre