Government of the 30th Dáil later rejoined the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in April 2008. Ministers are listed in order of seniority. The 28th Government of Ireland (7 May 2008 – 9 March 2011) was formed following the resignation of Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach on 6 May 2008 and the subsequent election of Brian Cowen as Ireland's 12th head of government. It was initially composed of Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats and supported by independent TDs Jackie Healy-Rae, Michael Lowry and Finian McGrath. McGrath later withdrew his support in October 2008. Following the disbandment of the Progressive Democrats in 2009, it became
Elections in the Republic of Ireland establishes a lower maximum of five years. Elections are by single transferable vote (STV), with each constituency returning between three and five deputies, each called a "Teachta Dála" or TD. Since 1981, constituencies have been redrawn by an independent Constituency Commission after each census. Elections to the European Parliament are held simultaneously across Europe every five years. In Ireland, as for Dáil elections, STV is used in constituencies returning three to five members. Local elections are held on the same day as European elections. Local electoral areas (LEAs) return between six and ten councillors by STV. Until the Local Government