Ireland’s general election takes place on Friday, marking the end of a three-week campaign since the dissolution of parliament.
Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris is hoping his centre-right Fine Gael party can secure a historic fourth successive term in office.
Four years ago, the country’s two historic centre-wing rivals – Fine Gael and Fianna Fail – joined forces to enter coalition government together.
President Michael D Higgins (right) and Taoiseach Simon Harris after dissolving parliament. Pic: PA
Having won the popular vote in 2020, Sinn Fein, the largest opposition party, had never come closer to forming a government.
But support for Sinn Fein has plummeted, according to the polls, due to an apparent disconnect with its base over immigration.
Who is contesting the election?
The three largest parties are Fine Gael, led by Simon Harris; Fianna Fail, led by Micheal Martin; and Sinn Fein, led by Mary Lou McDonald.
Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald. Pic: PA
Tanaiste Micheal Martin. Pic: PA
Last time around, Fine Gael’s former leader Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin agreed to rotate the office of Taoiseach, the equivalent of prime minister.
This will be the 33rd Dail Eireann (Irish parliament) since independence, with Fine Gael or Fianna Fail having led every government for a century.
The Greens, a third partner in the last coalition, are one of seven smaller parties contesting seats, alongside a growing list of independent candidates.
How are they polling?
Sinn Fein’s high of 36% two years ago has halved to 18%, a collapse attributed to unclear policies on immigration and recent internal scandals.
Fine Gael under Simon Harris, the social media savvy “TikTok Taoiseach”, has seen a dramatic recovery in its poll figure, now sitting around 24%.
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Fianna Fail, led by former Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who now serves as Tanaiste (deputy prime minister) and foreign affairs minister, is sitting at 21%.
None of the smaller parties is polling higher than 5%, but independents score 21%, suggesting they will feature heavily in the next Irish parliament.
How are people elected?
In a word, slowly.
Nearly 700 candidates have entered the race but no one party has fielded enough to win a majority, making another coalition government inevitable.
The number of TDs (MPs) has increased from 160 to 174 this time, and they will be elected from 43 constituencies across the country.
This is the complicated part.
The technical term for the electoral process is proportional representation with a single transferable vote.
In simple terms, instead of putting an X against their candidate of choice, voters rank the candidates in order of preference: 1, 2, 3, etc.
Votes are then counted in rounds, with candidates needing to reach a vote share, or “quota”, in order to be deemed elected.
The longer the list of candidates in a constituency, the longer the count, sometimes days, and that’s before the negotiations to form a coalition.
What are the issues?
Immigration and housing have been key focuses of the campaign, along with the rising cost of living, despite Ireland’s economy showing relatively healthy topline figures
Immigration: Four years ago, immigration was less than 100,000 per year. Now, it’s more than 150,000. The figure for asylum seekers has rocketed from under 4,000 to 33,000.
Housing: In 2020, 10,246 people were in emergency accommodation. In 2024, that number has risen to 14,760. The average age of a first-time buyer is 39.
House prices have become increasingly unaffordable, climbing by 92% since 2015. In contrast, UK house prices have risen by approximately 54% over the same timeframe.
Trade/jobs: One in six jobs in Ireland is dependent on US investment. US President Donald Trump has indicated he will impose tariffs on imports from the EU and attract US multinationals back from Ireland.
Ireland is a country with money – manifestos pledging to increase public spending and run a budget surplus – something British parties can only dream of.
But with people unable to buy a home until they’re almost 40, struggling with the cost of living and feeling their concerns about immigration are unheard, politicians have a gap to bridge.