t: Cabinet; appointed by president with previous nomination of
the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas)
Senate (Seanad Eireann): elections last held NA February 1992 (next to
be held NA February 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 26, Fine Gael 16, Labor 9,
Progressive Democrats 2, Democratic Left 1, independents 6
House of Representatives (Dail Eireann): elections last held on 25
November 1992 (next to be held by November 1997); results - Fianna
Fail 39.1%, Fine Gael 24.5%, Labor Party 19.3%, Progressive Democrats
4.7%, Democratic Left 2.8%, Sinn Fein 1.6%, Workers' Party 0.7%,
independents 5.9%; seats - (166 total) Fianna Fail 68, Fine Gael 45,
Labor Party 33, Progressive Democrats 10 Democratic Left 4, Greens 1,
independents 5

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Left, Proinsias DE ROSSA;
Fianna Fail, Bertie AHERN; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael,
John BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Sinn Fein,
Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY; The Workers'
Party, Marion DONNELLY; Green Alliance, Bronwen MAHER
note: Prime Minister BRUTON heads a three-party coalition consisting
of the Fine Gael, the Labor Party, and the Democratic Left

Member of: Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA,
FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA,
NSG, OECD, ONUSAL, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO,
WIPO, WMO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dermot A. GALLAGHER
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jean Kennedy SMITH
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [353] (1) 6687122
FAX: [353] (1) 6689946

Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and
orange; similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and
has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; also
similar to the flag of It