President of Ireland

The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann [ˈuəxt̪ˠəɾˠaːn̪ˠ n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ]) is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion. The office was established by the Constitution of Ireland in 1937. The Presiden... more

The President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann [ˈuəxt̪ˠəɾˠaːn̪ˠ n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ]) is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion. The office was established by the Constitution of Ireland in 1937. The President's official residence is Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin. The current office-holder is Mary McAleese who took office on 11 November 1997. The President is formally elected by the people once 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 Alternative Vote form of the Single Transferable Vote system. While both Irish and UK citizens resident in the state may vote in elections to Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament),... less