Irish presidential election - Definition and Overview

Irish presidential elections elect the President of Ireland: the Republic of Ireland's head of state.

Overview

The President of Ireland is formally elected by the citizens of Ireland once in every seven years, except in the event of premature vacancy, when an election must be held within sixty days. The President is directly elected by secret ballot under the system of the Alternative Vote. While both Irish and UK citizens resident in the state may vote in elections to Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament), only Irish citizens, who must be at least eighteen years of age, may vote in the election of the President. The presidency is open to all citizens of the state who are at least 35. A candidate must, however be nominated by one of the following:

• Twenty members of the Oireachtas (national parliament).
• Four local authorities.
• Themselves (in the case of an incumbent or former president).

Where only one candidate is nominated, he or she is deemed elected without the need for a ballot. For this reason, where there is a consensus among political parties, the President may be 'elected' without the occurrence of an actual ballot. No one may serve as President for more than two terms.

Results

Related topics

• Politics of the Republic of Ireland
• Irish general elections

External link

• President of Ireland - official site (http://www.gov.ie/aras/)