Irish begin voting in tight general election

Photo: Brian Lawless Associated Press A man walks past an election poster in Dublin, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, as voters go to the polls for the 2024 general election in Ireland.

Caroline Taïx – Agence France-Presse and Peter Murphy – Agence France-Presse in Dublin

Published at 3:30 p.m.

• Europe

Irish people vote Friday in a general election that is expected to be a close contest between the two centre-right parties in the outgoing coalition and the left-wing nationalist party Sinn Fein, which is hoping to come to power for the first time in the country.

After a whirlwind three-week campaign dominated by the deep housing crisis, the cost of living and immigration, voters are choosing the 174 MPs who will sit in the Dail, the lower house of parliament.

Exit polls are expected to give an idea of ​​the results on Friday evening, after polls close at 22:00 GMT. But the final results could be announced in several days.

More than 680 candidates are running in the 43 constituencies of the European Union member state of 5.4 million people.

The two centre-right parties in the outgoing coalition, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are neck and neck with Sinn Fein in the polls. The latter is the former political wing of the IRA paramilitary group that fought the British in Northern Ireland for decades until the 1998 peace agreement.

Simon Harris, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) since April and leader of Fine Gael, was the first of the main candidates to vote. “I am hopeful, not only for this election but for the future of our country,” he said.

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Simon Harris, 38, went into the election in a good position, having reinvigorated his party, which has been in government since 2011, but his campaign has not been convincing and he has fallen from first to third place in several polls.

According to the latest opinion poll before the vote, published on Wednesday evening, Fianna Fail, led by Foreign Secretary Micheal Martin, would come out on top with 22% of the vote, ahead of Fine Gael (down) and Sinn Fein (up), tied at 20%. Independents would win 14% of the vote.

Micheal Martin called on Friday to vote for “a coherent, stable government”.

Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have held power since Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1921.

After the last elections in 2020, won by Sinn Fein by a landslide, the two centrist parties formed a government coalition with the Greens.

“A historic day”

Simon Harris and Micheal Martin have ruled out any coalition with Sinn Fein, which considerably reduces the party’s chances of forming a government, even though it has made progress in the polls.

But Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said after casting her vote that Friday was “a historic day”. “We can elect a new government for change,” she said.

She called on young people to vote, speaking of “a generation who are out of reach of housing, […] who want to leave the country in droves”.

The Sinn Fein leader reiterated her desire to reunite Ireland and Northern Ireland.

She convinced Deric Sweeman, a 55-year-old lorry driver, to vote for Sinn Fein because “the time for change has come”. “Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have had time to sort things out, but they haven't,” he told AFP.

John Flynn, a 39-year-old banker, would like the coalition between the two centre-right parties to remain in power, “as the economy is doing quite well.”

“But housing is a big concern because it’s very difficult for young people to get into property,” he said.

“Ireland has more money than ever,” said Peta Scott, a 54-year-old Irish woman who works in the health sector.

In terms of GDP per capita, Ireland is the second richest country in the EU after Luxembourg. The country is forecasting a budget surplus in 2025, for the fourth year in a row.

“I hope whoever comes to power will use this money for […] health, housing, childcare. “The middle classes are under pressure,” she added.

Beyond the main parties, the Greens, the Social Democrats and Labour could win many votes and weigh in the formation of a coalition.

Vote counting will begin Saturday morning, but could take several days due to Ireland’s complex electoral system.

Then coalition talks will begin. It is highly unlikely that any party will win enough votes to govern alone.

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