Guidelines for Political Parties on Exchequer funding under the Electoral Acts.

3. Definition of qualified political party

Section 16 of the 1997 Act defines a qualified political party as one:

which is registered in the Register of Political Parties in accordance with Section 25 of the Electoral Act, 1992 as a party organised in the State to contest a Dáil election, and

whose candidates received not less than 2% of the total first preference votes obtained by all candidates at the most recent Dáil general election (17 May 2002).

As soon as possible after a Dáil general election, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government furnishes to the Standards Commission details of the total percentage of first preference votes obtained by candidates of each political party at the election. The Standards Commission subsequently informs each party whether or not it is a qualified party.

The first preference votes secured by candidates of all political parties at the most recent Dáil general election are outlined in Appendix A, Table A.

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