terms)
elections: Senate--last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); House of Representatives--last held 6 June 1997 (next to be
held NA 2002)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--NA; House of Representatives--percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19,
Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Greens 2, Sinn Fein 1,
independents 7

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president
on the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)

Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Labor
note: Prime Minister AHERN heads a two-party coalition consisting of
Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats; Democratic Left merged
into the Labor Party on 1 February 1999

International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS,
CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG,
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer),
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael SULLIVAN
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
mailing address: use embassy street address

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

Economy

Economy--overview: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent
economy with growth averaging 9.5% in 1995-98. Agriculture, once the
most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts
for 39% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor
force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's
robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in
consumer spending and recovery in both construction and b