Fianna Fáil

History

Fianna Fáil is resulting from a scission of the Sinn Féin in 1926. Since the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 and the end of the Irish civil war (1922-1923), the opponents with the treaty obtained important scores with the elections of the Irish Free State but refused to sit at the assembly not to have to lend oath to the king Georges V. The Minister for the justice of the government Cosgrave (Fine Gael), Kevin O' Higgins prepares a law then obliging the candidates to promise to lend oath to be able to take part in the elections. To avoid the political marginalisation an important part of the members of Sinn Féin follows Eamon de Valera and creates Fianna Fáil.

The party enters to the Parliament in 1927 and De Valera becomes finally Taoiseach after the general elections of 1932. Finally in 1937, Ireland adopts a republican constitution and the Irish Free State becomes the Eire . Fianna Fáil led by Valera then by Seán Lemass and Jack Lynch control surface almost without interruption until in 1973.

Presidents of Fianna Fáil

Éamon de Valera (1926 - 1959) - Taoiseach of 1937 with 1948, of 1951 with 1954 and of 1957 with 1959
Seán Lemass (1959 - 1966) - Taoiseach of 1959 with 1966
Jack Lynch (1966 - 1979) - Taoiseach of 1966 with 1973 and of 1977 with 1979
Charles Haughey (1979 - 1992) - Taoiseach of 1979 with 1981, in 1982 and of 1987 with 1992
Albert Reynolds (1992 - 1994) - Taoiseach of 1992 with 1994
Bertie Ahern (since 1994) - Taoiseach since 1997

National policy

It is currently directed by Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach since 1997 (re-elected in 2002).

It obtained 81 Teachta Dála (appointed) at the time of the last legislative elections of May 2002, lack little absolute majority (on 166 deputies). In 2005, he remains to him nothing any more but 78 deputies out of these 81.

With the general elections of May 24th, 2007, it gains 78 of the 166 seats of the Lower House of the Parliament, the Dáil Éireann, 41,6% of the votes, that is to say a score identical to that of 2002.

European policy

It obtained only four deputies with the the European Parliament in June 2004, one by European electoral constituency:

Liam Aylward, East (Leinster)
Brian Crowley, South (Munster)
Sean Ó Neachtain, North-West (Connaught - Ulster)
Eoin Ryan, (Dublin)

This party is member of the group Union for Europe of the nations (UEN) to the the European Parliament, formation whose Brian Crowley is the President.

It is also the parliamentary group of the National alliance Italy. Its adhesion with this group does not mean necessarily contrary attitude with the European Union but seems due to the participation of the Fine Gael, its principal rival, with the European Popular party. It also rises from a historical alliance with the French deputies from sensibilté gaullist (RPR then RPF), formerly members of the parliamentary groups having preceded the UEN, namely RDE (Gathering of the European Democrats) and the UPE (Union for Europe), then in opposition to the EPP.

See too

Official site of Fianna Fáil

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