The President is the Head of state, and is elected by direct vote. President Mary McAleese was elected in november 1997 and began her second seven-year term in November 2004.
There are fifteen Government Departments, each headed by a Minister. The titles and functions of some Government Departments are expected to change over the course of 2011. The Ministers collectively form the Government. Executive power is exercised by or on the authority of the Government, which is responsible to the Dáil (House of Representatives). the Head of the Government is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) while the Tánaiste is the Deputy Prime Minister.
There are two Houses of Parliament, known as Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (Senate). the Dáil has 166 members known as teachtaí Dála (TD). They are elected on a system of proportional representation by universal suffrage. Elections take place at least once every five years. After the 2011 general election the main political parties represented in the Dáil were Fine Gael, the Labour Party, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin.
The Seanad has 60 members, eleven of whom are nominated by the Taoiseach while the rest are elected from a number of vocational panels and by graduates of universities. The Seanad may initiate or revise legislation (except Finance Bills), but the Dáil has the power to reject any such amendments or proposed legislation.
