The

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

is the head of the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...

. Under Article 13 of the

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland (, ) is the constitution, fundamental law of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. It guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected non-executi ...

, the Taoiseach is appointed by the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...

on the nomination of

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

, the lower house of the

Oireachtas The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...

. The Taoiseach must be a member of Dáil Éireann.

, Article 28.7.1°. After a

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

or the resignation or death of a Taoiseach, members of the Dáil are proposed and seconded for the nomination of the Dáil to the position of Taoiseach. They are voted on in the order in which they are proposed. The candidate reaching a majority of votes cast wins the nomination, and is formally appointed as Taoiseach by the President in

Áras an Uachtaráin (; "Residence of the President"), formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the List of official residences, official residence and principal workplace of the President of Ireland. It is located off Chesterfield Avenue in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, ...

. Before 2016, all successful candidates obtained the votes of 50% or more of the house, but following the 2016 election, Enda Kenny was elected with the votes of just over one-third of TDs after

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

abstained as part of a

confidence and supply In parliamentary system, parliamentary democracies based on the Westminster system, confidence and supply is an arrangement under which a minority government (one which does not control a majority in the legislature) receives the support of one ...

arrangement. Since 2016, it has been possible to formally register an abstention in Dáil votes. The Ceann Comhairle casts a vote only in the case of a tie. The Constitution of Ireland came into operation on 29 December 1937. From 6 December 1922 to 29 December 1937, during the period of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

, the head of government was the President of the Executive Council, who was nominated by

, and appointed by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

. The Governor-General was abolished in 1936. After the 1937 general election, before the coming into operation of the Constitution of Ireland, the President of the Executive Council took office immediately on the election by the Dáil. Prior to 6 December 1922, during the period of the

Irish Republic The Irish Republic ( or ) was a Revolutionary republic, revolutionary state that Irish Declaration of Independence, declared its independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in January 1919. The Republic claimed jurisdict ...

, the head of government was the President of Dáil Éireann who was elected by

. A breakdown of votes is on the pages of governments formed, while support for unsuccessful candidates is noted below.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dáil vote for Taoiseach * Politics of the Republic of Ireland Government of the Republic of Ireland Political history of Ireland