Arcadia Ireland

Ireland’s current Prime Minister, or Taoiseach, dissolved the Irish parliament recently and called for new elections on 26 February. While the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates battle for their party nominations over the next few months in the USA, the Irish will have a new government in place within weeks.

Our students currently undertaking a parliamentary internship in Dáil Éireann, or Irish Parliament, will have a front row seat to electoral politics in Ireland. They could not have picked a better semester to be in Ireland. Our interns will be working closely with their appointed member of parliament while attending rallies, drafting press releases, canvassing local constituencies, answering phone calls from afield and ensuring candidates are on time for events. The pace will be exhilarating and the learning opportunities plenty as these students witness Irish democracy at work.

They will notice differences in the two electoral systems. Ireland uses a Proportional Representation model. For example if 30% of the electorate support a particular political party, then roughly 30% of seats will be won by that party. Understanding this model can be a challenge to Americans who might only be familiar with one democratic model.

Since Ireland operates with a multi-party system, a clever person has attempted to explain the political landscape with the Game of Thrones lens. The image here hopefully helps to match party platforms with the houses of Westeros!

The Irish General Election takes place on 26 February.