Political parties in Ireland

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There are a number of active political parties in the Republic of Ireland . Coalition governments are common. What is unusual is that Irish politics does not fit into a right-left pattern, as the two largest parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael do not primarily refer to themselves as center-left and center-right parties, respectively. Both parties formed after a split in the political landscape at the time of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent Irish Civil War and originally come from the Sinn Féin party : Fine Gael from the faction of the supporters of the treaty and Fianna Fáil of the faction of the opponents.

Historically, Fine Gael as a party for business people and farmers is mostly characterized as a center-right party, even if this term is very superficial. For example, in the 1960s , the party was emblematic of social democracy and any Fine Gael reign was accompanied by a Labor Party coalition. On the other hand, Fianna Fáil is often referred to as the center-left party, but Fianna Fáil also pursues a more right-wing economic policy and has already formed a coalition with the more right-wing Progressive Democrats a few times .

The Labor Party, Ireland's third largest party, can be seen as a traditional center-left party. The Labor Party has been a coalition partner of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the past. Smaller left-wing parties are the modern Sinn Féin Party, the Greens , the Socialist Party and the Communist Party of Ireland . The right wing was represented by the Progressive Democrats. The Progressive Democrats disbanded on November 8, 2008.

In addition to party members, the Irish House of Commons ( Dáil Éireann ) also includes independent parliamentarians who can play a major role in Irish politics, as they often tip the scales for minority governments or tight coalitions.

Parties currently represented in the House of Commons

  • Sinn Féin : The name Sinn Féin has been used for various political movements in Ireland since 1905; each claimed to be descended from the original Sinn Féin party (founded by Arthur Griffith ). The largest of today's Sinn Féin parties is closely linked to the Provisional IRA and the only party to have seats in the House of Commons in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland .
  • Fianna Fáil : Founded in 1926 by Éamon de Valera , the party first came to power in 1932 and was the strongest party in the House of Commons until the 2011 elections.
  • Fine Gael : Founded in 1933 through the merger of Cumann na nGaedheal , the National Center Party and the Blueshirts . Since its inception, the party has been the second largest force until it won more seats than Fianna Fáil for the first time in 2011. Together with the Labor Party, she formed the Irish government coalition under Taoiseach Leo Varadkar until the end of June 2020 ; such coalitions have existed before.
  • Green Party ( Comhaontas Glas ): Founded in 1981, the Greens slowly grew from a marginalized movement to a medium-sized party. Since June 2007 they formed a government coalition together with Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats, which they declared on January 23, 2011 for an end. In the subsequent elections in 2011 , the party lost all parliamentary seats, but moved back into the lower house in 2016 . The Green Party in Northern Ireland (GPNI) joined the Irish Green Party in 2006, which has two seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly .
  • Labor Party ( Páirtí an Lucht Oibre ): Founded in 1912 by James Connolly as the political wing of the trade union movement. Until 1927, the Labor Party was the main opposition in the Dáil. Since then she has formed various coalition governments with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. She was the coalition partner of Fine Gael.
  • Social Democrats ( Daonlathaigh Shóisialta )
  • Solidarity – People Before Profit ( Dlúthphartíocht – Pobal Roimh Bhrabús ) is an alliance of parties between Solidarity , People Before Profit (PBP) and RISE
  • The Right To Change Party (RTOC or Right To Change)
  • Aontú

Active parties without a seat in the lower house

Former political parties