Registration of Political Parties
The Chief Executive of An Coimisún Toghcháin is the Registrar of Political Parties. All political parties must be on the Register of Political Parties. A political party must be on the Register of Political Parties in order to contest all or any of the following elections:
- A Dáil election
- A European Parliament election
- A local election
If you would like to enquire about registering a political party please email info@electoralcommission.ie
There are specific timelines to register a party or amend the Register (see below):
If you would like to learn more about registering a political party, please see the forms and guidance below:
Why is the Register important?
The Register is important as part of the function of being a registered political party, listed in the Register, is that it formalises for ballot papers if a person is a candidate for a registered political party or not.
Also if a Party is not on the Register, then a party emblem cannot appear on the ballot paper.
Election timelines
If a decision of the Registrar in respect of registration, amendment or cancellation is made
- after the date of issue of the writ or writs for a Dáil election, or
- after the date of the relevant ministerial order for a Local, Limerick mayoral or European election,
the decision will not have effect for the particular election called.
Under Section 51(5) of the Electoral Reform Act 2022 as amended, the Register of Political Parties which has effect for an election, is that which was in effect on the date that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage signed the Polling Day Orders which set election date and times. Once polling day orders are signed the published Register remains static until after the election.
Any decision the Registrar may make to alter the Register after polling day orders are signed cannot have effect until after the election. Regardless of whether an application to register a new party or to alter existing register details is complete or not, the Register will not be updated until after the election.
If parties do not inform the Registrar’s office of changes for a period of time, election time limits will affect how party candidates may appear on ballot papers.
Parties are requested to notify the Registrar’s office of any changes in Register details as soon as they arise. The completed application form can be emailed to registrar@electoralcommission.ie or posted to the Commission’s office, marked ‘Private and Confidential’ to the Registrar of Political Parties, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the Electoral Commission, Block M, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, D02 X8X8.
Can individual election candidates register with the Commission?
No. The Register of Political Parties only lists political parties not any individual election candidate (whether a party candidate or a Non Party candidate).
If a political party is not on the Register, a candidate has to appear on the ballot paper listed as ‘Non Party’. If a candidate is ‘Non Party’ they have to nominate themselves for Dáil, European Parliament or Local or Limerick Mayoral elections. This means either (i) lodging a monetary deposit or (ii) arranging for a number of electors to support their candidacy (who are registered to vote and who live in the area in which the candidate is standing).
Rights of appeal to a Decision of the Registrar of Political Parties
You may appeal a decision by the Registrar of Political Parties to an appeal board. All appeal communications must be directed through appeals@electoralcommission.ie. When submitting an appeal, please ensure:
- Appeals are made in writing to the Chairperson of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Block M, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, D02 X8X8 by 12 noon on the 21st day after the publication in Iris Oifigiúil of the decision by the Registrar.
- The appeal is to be delivered or sent by post and is to be accompanied by a deposit of €500. Payment may be made by cheque, or our bank details can be provided upon request for payment by bank transfer.
- The appeal should state the grounds of the appeal and should contain the evidence on which the appeal is based. Pending the decision of the Board the decision of the Registrar shall not have effect.
Thereafter all correspondence with the Board is to be had through the e-mail address appeals@electoralcommission.ie.
Appeal against decision of Registrar
51. (1) A decision by the Registrar in relation to—
(a) an application for registration under section 43 or 44 ,
(b) an application under section 50 for amendment of the particulars entered in relation to a party in the Register of Political Parties, or
(c) the cancellation of the registration of a party under section 50 (6),
may be questioned by way of an appeal to the Board under this section and, pending the determination by the Board of such an appeal, the decision of the Registrar shall not have effect.
(2) Where the Registrar has decided to refuse an application for registration including the registration of an emblem or an application for an amendment of the register and has stated the reasons for so doing in accordance with section 49 or 50 (3), such statement shall be regarded as a sufficient statement of the reasons for the decision.
(3) (a) Not later than 12 noon on the twenty-first day after the publication in Iris Oifigiúil of a decision by the Registrar on an application for registration under section 43 or 44 , or for the amendment of the particulars in relation to a party entered in the register under section 50 (1) or in respect of the cancellation of the registration of a party under section 50 (6), an appeal may be made to the Board against the decision—
(i) in the case of a decision to refuse either an application for registration including the registration of an emblem or an application for an amendment of the register, by the party by which the application was made,
(ii) in the case of a decision to allow either an application for registration or an application for amendment of the register, by any political party registered in the register at the time of the giving by the Registrar of such notice,
(iii) in the case of a decision to cancel a registration, by the party whose registration it is proposed to cancel.
(b) Where no appeal is made under this section within the period specified in paragraph (a), the decision shall at the expiration of the said period become final and the Registrar shall notify the applicant or, as the case may be, the party whose registration he or she has decided to cancel.
(c) An appeal under this section shall be in writing, shall state the grounds on which the appeal is made, shall be addressed to the Chairperson and shall be delivered or sent by post so as to reach the Chairperson not later than the time specified in paragraph (a), together with the deposit referred to in paragraph (d), and any such appeal which is received by the Chairperson after that time or without that deposit shall not be entertained or considered by the Commission.
(d) An appeal under this section shall not be considered by the Board unless at the time the appeal is made a deposit of €500 is lodged with the Chairperson by, or on behalf of, the appellant, which sum shall on the determination of the appeal be returned to the person by whom it was made unless the Board considers the appeal to be frivolous or vexatious and directs that the deposit be forfeited.
(e) A deposit forfeited under this section shall be disposed of by the Chairperson in such manner as may be directed by the Minister for Finance.
(f) The Chairperson, immediately on receipt of an appeal under this section, shall—
(i) notify the Registrar of such receipt,
(ii) furnish the Registrar with a copy of the appeal,
(iii) publish a notice in Iris Oifigiúil that an appeal has been lodged, and
(iv) make the documentation in relation to the appeal available for inspection at all convenient times.
(4) (a) The Board, in determining an appeal under this section, shall consider—
(i) the grounds for the appeal stated pursuant to subsection (3)(c), and
(ii) such information (if any) as was made available to the Registrar in connection with the application for registration (including registration of a political party emblem), the application for amendment of the register or the proposed cancellation of the registration, as the case may be.
(b) The Registrar shall give to the Commission such information in relation to every appeal considered pursuant to this section as the Commission may reasonably require of him or her.
(c) Where information additional to that referred to in paragraph (a)(ii) is furnished to the Commission, the appeal application, if the Commission considers it appropriate and directs accordingly, shall be returned to the Registrar for their consideration and treated, if appropriate, as a new application for registration or an amendment of the register by the Registrar.
(d) The decision of the Commission shall be final and binding.
(5) A decision by the Registrar on an application for registration, including the registration of an emblem, or for amendment of the particulars entered in the register in respect of a party or in relation to the cancellation of the registration of a party under section 50 or a decision by the Commission on an appeal under this section shall not have effect in relation to the relevant election where the decision of the Registrar or the Commission is made or the period for making an appeal under subsection (3) against the decision of the Registrar expires—
(a) in the case of a Dáil election relative to a party registered or seeking registration (including registration of a political party emblem) as a party organised to contest a Dáil election, after the date of the issue of the writ or writs,
(b) in the case of a European election relative to a party registered or seeking registration (including registration of a political party emblem) as a party organised to contest a European election, after the date of the making of the order of the Minister under section 10(1) of the Act of 1997,
(c) in the case of a local election relative to a party registered or seeking registration (including registration of a political party emblem) as a party organised to contest a local election, after the date of the making of the order of the Minister under section 26(2) of the Act of 2001.
(6) The Board shall determine an appeal under this section without an oral hearing unless, having regard to the particular circumstances of the appeal, it considers that it is necessary to conduct an oral hearing in order to properly and fairly determine the appeal.
(7) An appeal which has been commenced under section 25B of the Act of 1992 and not completed before the establishment day shall be carried on or completed by the Board under this section on or after the establishment day.
(8) In this section, “Board” means the members of the Commission referred to in section 9 (1).