President of Ireland

President of Ireland
Uachtarán na hÉireann (Irish)
Incumbent
Michael D. Higgins
since 11 November 2011
StylePresident (A Uachtaráin) or
Your Excellency (A Shoilse)
Status
ResidenceÁras an Uachtaráin
SeatDublin, Ireland
NominatorMembers of the Oireachtas or local councils
AppointerDirect popular vote
by Instant-runoff voting
Term lengthSeven years
(renewable once)
Constituting instrumentArticles 12−14, Constitution of Ireland
PrecursorGovernor-General of the Irish Free State
Inaugural holderDouglas Hyde
Formation25 June 1938
Salary€249,014 annually[1]
Websitepresident.ie/en Edit this at Wikidata

The president of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.

The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.[2] The president is elected directly by the people, although there is no poll if only one candidate is nominated, which has occurred on six occasions, most recently in 2004. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the president does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion which have constitutional importance. The president acts as a representative of the Irish state and guardian of the constitution. The president's official residence is Áras an Uachtaráin in Phoenix Park, Dublin. The office was established by the Constitution of Ireland in 1937. The first president assumed office in 1938, and became recognised internationally as head of state in 1949 after the coming into effect of the Republic of Ireland Act.

The current president is Michael D. Higgins, who was first elected on 29 October 2011, and inaugurated on 11 November 2011. He was re-elected for a second term on 26 October 2018.

  1. ^ Ryan, Philip (8 April 2018). "Revealed: How much the Office of the President costs over seven years". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  2. ^ Constitution of Ireland: Article 12.3

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