Chamber:
	Dail Eireann
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	17 May 2002
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats of the Dail on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	On 24 April 2002, Prime Minister Berti Ahren formally announced 17 May 2002 as the date for legislative elections. The following day, President McAleese dissolved the 28th Dail (House of Representatives), thus paving the way for elections. The outgoing legislature was the only one to have served its full term of office since 1943. The three-week electoral campaign focused on social services. The ruling Fianna Fáil pledged to hold down taxes, provide some 12,000 new hospital beds, cut class sizes to 20 pupils and impose tougher criminal sentences, as the government had been criticised over the state of health and education. Another main subject was law and order since the death of two policemen at the hands of joyriders in April 2002. The opposition also promised more money for the public sector, but in the opinion polls it appeared to have failed to come up with a credible alternative. The government's popularity was also boosted by its having signed the Good Friday Agreement of 10 April 1998, which was aimed at bringing peace between Protestants and Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland. Out of the approximately 2.8 million eligible voters, some 63 per cent cast votes. The final results showed that the Prime Minister's Fianna Fáil party had won 80 of the 166 seats, while the main opposition Fine Gael party obtained 31, 23 seats less than in the outgoing legislature. The third force in the House will be the Labour Party, which won 21 seats (an increase of four seats). The Progressive Democrats also performed well, doubling their representation to eight seats, and the Green Party increased by four its presence in the newly elected House of Representatives, obtaining six seats. The Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Army-linked party, won five seats, a large increase from the previous one seat in the outgoing legislature. On 6 June 2002, the House of Representatives held its first sitting and elected Dr. Rory O'Hanlon as its new Speaker. The same day, Mr Ahren was re-appointed Prime Minister.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (17 May 2002): Elections results
Number of registered electors	3 002 173
Voters	1 878 609 (62.57 %)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	20 707
Valid votes	1 857 902

Round no 1: Distribution of votes
Political Group	Votes	%
Fianna Fail	772 957	41.50
Fine Gael	417 653	22.50
Labour Party	200 138	10.80
Progressive Democrats	73 628	4.00
Green Party	71 480	3.80
Sinn Fein	121 039	6.50
Socialist Party	14 896	0.80
Independents	n.a.	n.a.

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total	Gain/Loss
Fianna Fail	81	+4
Fine Gael	31	-23
Labour Party	21	+4
Progressive Democrats	8	+4
Green Party	6	+4
Sinn Fein	5	+4
Socialist Party	1	+1
Independents	13	n.a.

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	144
Women:	22
Percent of women:	13.25