The make-up of the 29th Dáil is markedly different to that of the previous parliament, writes Joe Carroll
The 29th Dáil meets for the first time at 10.30 a.m. today. Mr Bertie Ahern will be duly re-elected as Taoiseach and the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition will continue in office - the first time an outgoing government has been re-elected since 1969.
The new government will have 89 votes - five more than an absolute majority in the 166-member Dáil.
The first item on the Order of Business today will be the election of a new Ceann Comhairle to replace Labour's Mr Seamus Pattison.
This will be followed by the nominations for Taoiseach and a debate on them.
When Mr Ahern is elected, the House will be suspended to allow him to go to Áras an Uachtaráin to inform the President, Mrs McAleese.
The Dáil will resume sitting in the afternoon to approve and debate the nomination of the new Cabinet.
The new ministers will then go to Áras an Uachtaráin to receive their seals of office from the President.
There will be 53 new faces on government and Opposition benches compared to the last Dáil. But a number of these will be former TDs and senators. Some 33 of the outgoing TDs who stood again for election failed to be returned. A number of these will seek election to the new Seanad.
The state of the parties in the new Dáil is: Fianna Fáil 81 (there were 76 at the end of the last Dáil, including Mr Denis Foley, Mr Liam Lawlor and Ms Beverley Cooper-Flynn, who were not members of the parliamentary party); Fine Gael 31 (54); Labour 21 (21); Progressive Democrats 8 (4); Green Party 6 (2); Sinn Féin 5 (1); Socialist Party 1 (1); and Independents 13 (7).
The Fine Gael ranks have suffered unprecedented losses. They have lost 23 seats and the 22 TDs who were defeated included such high-profile names as Mr Alan Dukes, Mr Jim Mitchell, Ms Nora Owen, Mr Jim Higgins, Mr Alan Shatter and Mr Charlie Flanagan.
Ms Mary O'Rourke was the outstanding figure among the eight outgoing Fianna Fáil TDs who failed to be re-elected.
Labour is disappointed to be returning to the new Dáil with only the same number of TDs.
The experience of former Tánaiste Mr Dick Spring and of Mr Derek McDowell and Mr Michael Bell, who all lost their seats, will be missed.
For the Progressive Democrats, the doubling of their numbers to eight has ensured their continuation in government and enhanced status as Coalition partners.
While the Green Party and Sinn Féin have increased their numbers, they have fallen short of the number required to form an official group.
They are expected to lead a vigorous campaign with a number of Independents to win the privileges which a parliamentary group is entitled to, such as Private Members' time.
With the new government no longer depending on the votes of the Independents, they will have less influence than in the last Dáil but those elected with a mandate for improved medical services and for regional aid will ensure these issues have a high profile.
