Ireland - General Election 29 November 2024
A general election has to take place at least every five years. President Michael D Higgins formally dissolved the Dáil 08 November 2024 to mark the beginning of the general election campaign that will conclude with polling day on November 29th. The dissolution triggered the start of what would be a relatively short three-week campaign. Taoiseach Simon Harris went to the President’s residence at Áras an Uachtaráin in Phoenix Park to undertake the formalities required to call an election under the Constitution.
The move brought to an end the four-and-a-half-year lifespan of the historic Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Green Party coalition government. After the 2020 general election delivered an inconclusive result, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil agreed to set aside almost a century of animosity and share power. The Green Party joined the administration as a junior partner. Fianna Fáil leader MicheálMartin again made clear he would not countenance going into a coalition with Sinn Féin post-election.
The 2024 elections were held three months earlier than required by the Electoral Act, 1992. On 8 November 2024, the then Prime Minister, Simon Harris (Fine Gael), called snap elections, which were subsequently scheduled for 29 November. Key electoral issues in 2024 included the rising cost of living and a severe housing shortage, as well as immigration.
Article 16.4 of the Constitution stipulates that “The Oireachtas [Parliament] shall revise the constituencies at least once in every twelve years, with due regard to changes in distribution of the population”. In February 2023, the Electoral Commission published the Constituency Review Report 2023 and recommended an increase in the statutory number of the House of Representatives from 160 to 174. Both chambers of parliament adopted the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023, which included the recommendation. President Michael D. Higgins signed the Act into law in December 2023.
Following the previous election held in February 2020, Mr. Martin (Fianna Fáil) became the Prime Minister in June 2020. Mr. Leo Varadkar (Fine Gael) succeeded him in December 2022 in accordance with the 2020 coalition agreement. When Mr. Varadkar resigned as Fine Gael leader, Mr. Harris (Fine Gael), then 37 years old, succeeded him in April 2024, thereby becoming Ireland’s youngest Prime Minister.
The General Election was planned for Friday 29 November 2024. The deadline to register and update details for in-person voting for the General Election is 12 November 2024. The deadline for postal and special voting arrangements for the General Election was 10 November 2024. A general election is a vote by the people of Ireland to decide who will represent them in the Dáil (Ireland’s lower house of parliament). Ireland is a parliamentary democracy which means that the Irish public directly elect TDs to represent them.
There were 30 political parties registered to contest elections in Ireland and in the 2020 General Election saw nine different parties win seats in the Dáil. If a candidate is successful, they become a Teachta Dála (TD). TDs are the elected representatives in the Dáil. Once elected, TDs vote to choose a Taoiseach and form a government. There will be 174 TDs elected to the next Dáil. The Constitution states that each TD shall represent 20,000-30,000 people living in the State. TDs are elected to represent the people in their constituency, who are often referred to as constituents. A constituency is a specific area where a set number of political representatives are elected by the voters living there.
To stand for election to Dáil Éireann, a candidate must be a citizen of Ireland and at least 21 years of age by polling day. A person may nominate himself or herself as a candidate or, with his or her consent, may be nominated by a person who is registered as an elector in the constituency concerned. A candidate not in possession of a certificate of political affiliation (confirmation that a person is a candidate of a political party registered in the Register of Political Parties) must have their nomination completed using either of the following options: by way of assents requiring the completion of statutory declarations by 30 assentors (registered electors) in the relevant Dáil constituency, or by way of the candidate, or someone on his or her behalf, lodging a deposit of €500 with the returning officer.
Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament). Democratic power in Ireland is divided between the legislature (the Oireachtas), the executive (the Government) and the judiciary. Legislative power is the power to make laws. Articles 15 – 27 of the constitution gives these powers to the Oireachtas. The Oireachtas consists of Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann and the President. The Oireachtas is the legislative branch of the state. It is made up of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. The Oireachtas watches and holds the Government accountable for its decisions and actions. It does this in a number of ways, including asking the Taoiseach and Government Ministers questions. The Oireachtas can also remove the Taoiseach/Government Ministers through a motion of no confidence.
The Dáil is the main body of the Oireachtas and holds the most legislative power in the Country. Its functions are to legislate, propose new Bills (laws), debate new laws, make changes to new laws if needed, and vote to pass these bills into law. Dáil Éireann also monitors the work of the Government, making sure that it is accountable to the people for its actions. Day to day, the Dáil debates issues of importance to the people and approves public spending.
For Dáil, European and local elections, voters elect a number of candidates. In Dáil and European election constituencies, the number of seats (elected representatives) can be 3, 4 and 5 seats per area, depending on population size. When polling is over, all ballot boxes are taken to a central counting place for each constituency. Once all the ballot boxes are opened, a reconciliation process takes place in which the number of ballots issued at the polling centre is checked against the number of ballots that were in the ballot boxes.
Ireland uses proportional representation (PR) for voting in elections, with each voter having a single transferable vote (STV). PR-STV is a candidate-based system. This means voters can choose to vote for as many, or as few candidates as they like, in order of their preference. The voter’s first preference vote – the candidate they give their number 1 vote to – is most important and is always counted. A voter’s second (and further preferences) may be counted if their preferred candidate is eliminated at the end of a round of counting, or is elected with a surplus. These are known as transfers. Several candidates are elected to represent each constituency. Voters can chose as many (or few) candidates in order of their preference. A voter’s first preference is always counted. Second and further preferences are often counted and have the ability to determine the results of an election.
Harris said it had been the honour of his life to serve as the country’s leader. “We are a small country with a big influence all over the world and we have many assets but no asset more valuable than our people,” he said. “Irish people are decent, they’re hardworking, they’re fair, and it is the honour of my lifetime to serve as your Taoiseach. In just seven short months, I have travelled to every part of this beautiful country. I’ve met thousands of you and we have discussed hundreds of issues. Your concerns are my priorities and over the next three weeks I will seek a mandate to continue as your Taoiseach and to deliver for you on the things that matter most to you, your family, your community and to our country.
“Others will, of course, seek alternative mandates, and it is vital we have an election that fully considers our very different visions for our country’s economic and social future.” He added: “This election must be a safe and respectful campaign for all politicians and all their teams and I wish all candidates luck.“
Since the 2020 poll, the Coalition had to grapple with the same global shocks that confronted many governments around the world – the Covid-19 pandemic and the inflation crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ireland has also experienced a surge in migration numbers in the last two years, in large part due to the tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees who sought safe haven in the country. There have also been increased rates of asylum seekers arriving from elsewhere in the world.
This, coupled with post-recession, pre-existing housing shortages, has placed unprecedented strain on state accommodation provision, leading to tensions and disputes in some local areas over plans to repurpose hotels and other buildings into facilities for international protection applicants. The rise of the migration issue up the political agenda has come at a time when the government continues to grapple with what itself has acknowledged is a crisis in housing.
Despite the coalition’s efforts to increase the number of state-built homes and promote policies to support renters and first-time buyers, record homelessness figures are still on the rise and house prices and rental costs remain stubbornly high as demand consistently outweighs supply in many areas, particularly in Dublin.
The main opposition - Sinn Féin - went into the election on the back of a difficult number of weeks, having faced intense criticism over its handling of several controversies related to allegations and complaints against party members. In the last 12 months the party had also seen its poll ratings dip quite significantly, dropping from front-runner to leave it trailing behind both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in a series of recent polls.
Fine Gael retained the most public support on 24 percent, well ahead of rivals in Fianna Fáil (20.5 percent) and Sinn Féin (19 percent). Independent candidates, including new party Independent Ireland, are on 19 percent, while Aontú had jumped to 3 percent support. The Soc Dems were at 5%; Labour at 4.5%; and Greens at 4%.
Two major parties in the outgoing coalition government (Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael) won a total of 86 seats in the new 174-member House of Representatives (up from 160). Their junior coalition partner, the Green Party, reduced its share of seats from 12 to one. The main opposition party, Sinn Féin, led by Ms. Mary Lou McDonald, remained the second largest force in the new legislature. On 18 December, the House of Representatives held its first session and elected Ms. Verona Murphy (independent) as its new Speaker. She is the first woman to assume the post.
On 22 January 2025, the House of Representatives approved a coalition government comprising Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. It will be led by former Prime Minister Michéal Martin (Fianna Fáil) until November 2027, when the outgoing Prime Minister Simon Harris (Fine Gael) will take over the premiership. On 23 January, President Michael D. Higgins officially appointed the members of the Government.
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