What the course asks
On the course: Leaving Cert Politics and Society topic 2 asks you to describe how the Taoiseach and the Government are selected, and how the Northern Ireland Executive is selected.
Examiners want the selection rules side by side: who leads each executive, how that leadership is chosen, how other ministers get their seats, and what happens when political support fails. The rest of this guide sets those rules out in plain English.
How the Irish Government is selected
Under Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Dáil nominates the Taoiseach and the President appoints them. The Taoiseach then nominates the other members of the Government. The Dáil approves those nominations and the President appoints the ministers. The full formation story, including coalitions and the Programme for Government, is in how the Irish Government is formed.
Article 28 says the Government has between seven and fifteen members. It must keep the support of a majority in the Dáil. If that support is lost, the Taoiseach resigns, unless the President dissolves the Dáil on the Taoiseach's advice. Up to two members of the Government may be Senators. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance must be TDs.
The Government meets and acts as a collective authority. Ministers stand or fall together: if the Taoiseach resigns, the other members of the Government are also treated as having resigned.
How the Northern Ireland Executive is selected
The Northern Ireland Executive follows the Northern Ireland Act 1998, as amended, which puts the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement into statute. It is a power-sharing executive. The largest party in the largest Assembly designation nominates the First Minister. The largest party in the next largest designation nominates the deputy First Minister. The titles differ, yet the two offices are joint: one cannot hold office without the other.
Other ministers are allocated by the d'Hondt method according to each party's strength in the Assembly. That spreads cabinet seats across parties rather than leaving the choice to a single head of government. Some decisions need cross-community support, so a simple majority of MLAs is not always enough.
Because the two lead offices are joint, the Executive cannot function unless both are filled. That design has produced collapses when one of the offices was left vacant, including the periods 2017–2020 and 2022–2024.
Side-by-side comparison
| Question | Irish Government | Northern Ireland Executive |
|---|---|---|
| Who leads it | The Taoiseach, as head of the Government | The First Minister and the deputy First Minister, holding office jointly |
| How they are chosen | The Dáil nominates the Taoiseach; the President appoints them | Largest party in the largest designation nominates the First Minister; largest party in the next largest designation nominates the deputy First Minister |
| Who else sits at the table | 7–15 ministers nominated by the Taoiseach, approved by the Dáil, appointed by the President | Other ministers allocated by d'Hondt according to party strength in the Assembly |
| What happens if support fails | If the Taoiseach loses Dáil majority support, they resign (unless the Dáil is dissolved) | If either lead office is vacant, the Executive cannot function as designed |
| Where the rule is written | Bunreacht na hÉireann, especially Article 28 | Northern Ireland Act 1998, following the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement |
What to compare in an essay
A strong essay contrast is a single Taoiseach who needs a Dáil majority, against two joint offices that must both be filled and a cabinet shared by party strength. Ireland's model centres on majority confidence in one chamber. Northern Ireland's model centres on cross-community power-sharing and automatic seat allocation.