The 1982 Irish Constitutional reforms, known in Ireland as "The Reforms", were a series of institutional reforms enacted by the Irish government, in particular Labour leaders Jack Lynch and Liam Cosgrave, to decentralize the Irish government and strip powers from the office of the Presidency while also separating the election of the Presidency from the elections of the Dail, making the President a true head of state while empowering the Taioseach as a true head of government. The Reforms occurred as a direct result of the late 1970's Belfast Crises and the Troubles in Northern Ireland that had occurred since the late 1960's, as well as the various scandals, assassinations and social upheavals that had plagued Ireland for twenty years.