section_path: Overview
section_name: Overview
paragraph_text: Overview
  
  Under the Constitution of Ireland, the Taoiseach is nominated by a simple majority of the voting members of Dáil Éireann. The Taoiseach is then formally appointed to office by the President, who is required to appoint whomever the Dáil designates, without the option of declining to make the appointment. For this reason, the Taoiseach may informally be said to have been "elected" by Dáil Éireann.
  
  If the Taoiseach loses the support of a majority in Dáil Éireann, he or she is not automatically removed from office. Instead, he or she is compelled either to resign or to persuade the President to dissolve the Dáil and call new elections. If the President "in his absolute discretion" refuses to grant a dissolution, this effectively forces the Taoiseach to resign. To date, no President has ever refused a dissolution, although the option to exercise this prerogative arose in 1944 and 1994, and twice in 1982. The Taoiseach may lose the support of Dáil Éireann by the passage of a vote of no confidence, or implicitly, through the failure of a vote of confidence. Alternatively, the Dáil may refuse supply. In the event of the Taoiseach's resignation, he or she continues to exercise the duties and functions of office until the appointment of a successor.
  
  The Taoiseach nominates the remaining members of the Government, who are then, with the consent of the Dáil, appointed by the President. The Taoiseach may advise the President to dismiss cabinet ministers from office; the President does not have discretion on accepting such advice. The Taoiseach is also responsible for appointing eleven members of the sixty members of the upper house of parliament, the Seanad.
  
  The Department of the Taoiseach is the government department which supports and advises the Taoiseach in carrying out his or her various duties. The Taoiseach is assisted by one or more Ministers of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, one of whom is the Government Chief Whip.