Taoiseach

The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) or, more formally, An Taoiseach, is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet1. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of D?il ?ireann (the lower house of parliament), and must, while he or she remains in office, enjoy the confidence of the D?il. The current Taoiseach is Bertie Ahern,TD of the Fianna F?il party.

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Under the Constitution of Ireland the Taoiseach must be appointed from among the members of D?il ?ireann. In the event that the Taoiseach loses the confidence of D?il ?ireann, they are not automatically removed from office but, rather, are compelled to either resign or persuade the President to dissolve the D?il. The President may refuse to grant a dissolution, and, in effect, force the Taoiseach to resign, but, to date, no president is known to have exercised this prerogative. The Taoiseach may lose the support of D?il ?ireann by the passage of a vote of no confidence, the failure of a vote of confidence or, alternatively, the D?il may refuse supply2. In the event of the Taoiseach's resignation, they continue to exercise the duties and functions of their office until the appointment of a successor.

Head of government: The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet....

Republic of Ireland: :For an explanation of often confusing terms like Ulster, (Republic of) Ireland, (Great) Britain and United Kingdom see British Isles (terminology) ....

Irish cabinet: REDIRECT Government of Ireland...