Editing Impeachment (section)

=== Ireland===

{{anchor|Ireland}}{{anchor|Republic of Ireland}}

The [[Constitution of Ireland]] states the [[President of Ireland]] may be impeached for "stated misbehaviour".<ref>Constitution of Ireland, Article 12.10.1°</ref>  The president may not be otherwise removed from office or made [[Accountability|answerable]] for his actions,<ref>Constitution of Ireland, Article 13.8</ref> although if five judges of the [[Supreme Court (Ireland)|Supreme Court]] rule that he has become "permanently incapacitated" then a new [[Irish presidential election|presidential election]] must be held within 60 days and the [[Presidential Commission (Ireland)|Presidential Commission]] will deputise in the interim.<ref>Constitution of Ireland, Articles 12.3, 12.7, 14.1</ref> Impeachment is controlled by the [[Oireachtas]] (parliament) with one house ([[Dáil Éireann|Dáil]] or [[Seanad Éireann|Seanad]]) preferring a [[Charge (law)|charge]] and the other directing the ensuing investigation and final vote.<ref>Constitution of Ireland, Article 12.10.2°, 5°</ref> The charge requires a [[Motion (parliamentary procedure)|motion]] signed by at least thirty members and consequent [[Resolution (law)|resolution]] supported by at least two-thirds of the total membership.<ref>Constitution of Ireland, Article 12.10.3°,4°</ref> The investigation may be made by the house itself or delegated to another "court, tribunal or body".<ref>Constitution of Ireland, Articles 12.10.5°, 13.8.2°</ref> The president is removed from office only if at least two-thirds of the total membership of the investigating house support an ensuing resolution that, not only has the charge been sustained, but also the misbehaviour was serious enough to render the president "unfit to continue in office".<ref>Constitution of Ireland, Article 12.10.7°</ref><ref name="CahillaneHickey2023">{{cite book |title=British Origins and American Practice of Impeachment |date=10 November 2023 |doi=10.4324/9781003255956 |isbn=9781003255956 |chapter=‘Impeachment’ in Irish Constitutional Law |first1=Laura |last1=Cahillane |first2=Tom |last2=Hickey |editor-first1=Chris |editor-last1=Monaghan |editor-first2=Matthew |editor-last2=Flinders |edition=1st |pages=132–154 }}</ref>

{{As of|2024|01}} no impeachment of a president has ever taken place. The dignity of what is a largely ceremonial office is considered important, so it is likely that a president would resign from office long before undergoing formal conviction or impeachment. In 1976, after being criticised by [[Paddy Donegan|a minister]], [[Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh]] resigned "to protect the dignity and independence of the presidency as an institution", although there was no question of impeachment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Public assertion of personal integrity |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1976/1023/Pg001.html#Ar00105 |access-date=7 January 2024 |newspaper=The Irish Times |url-access=subscription |date=23 October 1976 |page=1 }}</ref>

While the Constitution also states that [[Comptroller and Auditor General (Ireland)|Comptroller and Auditor General]] and justices of the [[Courts of the Republic of Ireland#Superior courts|superior courts]] can be removed from office for "stated misbehaviour", it does not describe this as ''impeachment'' and the requirement in each case is simple resolution by each house of the Oireachtas.<ref>Constitution of Ireland, Articles 33.5 and 35.4</ref> The process is nevertheless informally called "impeachment".<ref name="CahillaneHickey2023"/>