Yes, closely. Like the Bundeskanzler, the Taoiseach heads the Government and is chosen by parliament: the Dáil nominates a TD and the President appoints them. Both countries have coalition governments negotiated after an election.

The Irish version is less rigid. There is no constructive vote of no confidence: the Dáil can simply withdraw confidence, and the Taoiseach must resign or seek a dissolution.

One rule explains most of Irish politics: the Government exists only while it has the support of a majority in the Dáil. Voters elect TDs; TDs choose the Taoiseach; the Taoiseach picks Ministers who run the departments. If the Dáil withdraws its confidence, the Government falls.

The President sits outside that chain. The office is directly elected and politically neutral, which is why a popular President can be from a different tradition to the Government of the day.

No. Ireland is not a federation. The Seanad, its upper house, has 60 members, mostly elected by panels and graduates, with 11 nominated by the Taoiseach. It does not represent regions and can only delay Bills.

Local government is weak by German standards. The 31 county and city councils have limited tax-raising powers, and services such as schools, hospitals and the Garda Síochána (police) are run nationally.

Germany uses mixed-member proportional representation with a constituency vote and a party-list vote, and a 5% threshold. Ireland uses PR-STV: each of its 43 constituencies elects three to five TDs and voters rank candidates. There are no party lists and no formal threshold, and independents can win seats.

Because voters choose between individual candidates, Irish TDs are closely tied to their local area, and even party colleagues compete for preferences in the same constituency.

The Irish President is elected directly by voters for seven years, whereas the German Federal President is chosen by a Federal Convention. Both have largely ceremonial roles.

One power stands out. Before signing a Bill, the Irish President can refer it to the Supreme Court to test whether it is constitutional, after consulting the Council of State. If the Court upholds it, that Bill can never be challenged in court again.

The two systems are both proportional, but they get there differently.

Irish politics uses Irish-language titles even in English-language news. Nobody translates them, so it helps to know the handful that come up every day.

EU citizens living in Ireland can vote in local and European elections. Dáil elections are open only to Irish and British citizens. EU membership also gives Germans the right to live and work in Ireland.

To vote in European elections in Ireland rather than Germany, you need to register in Ireland and make a declaration that you will not vote in another member state.

Everything the Oireachtas does is published: every vote, every speech and every answer to a parliamentary question. The hard part is finding what matters in hundreds of pages of transcripts.