29th Nov 2024 06:19
(Alliance News) - Voters head to the polls in Ireland this morning for a General Election which will set the political landscape for the next five years.
The three largest parties were virtually neck-and-neck heading into the vote, with one party leader describing the race as "too close to call".
More than three million registered voters will pick their representatives across 43 constituencies, in a campaign that has focused on the country's housing crisis, the response to a dramatic increase in immigration, and economic management for the cost of living as well as potential future trade shocks.
After the 2020 general election delivered an inconclusive result, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail agreed to set aside almost a century of animosity and share power. Sinn Fein won the popular vote in 2020 but a failure to run enough candidates meant it did not secure sufficient seats in the Dail to give it a realistic chance of forming a government.
This time around, party leader Mary Lou McDonald fielded many more candidates in a vow not to repeat past mistakes.
An exit poll at 10pm will provide the first sense of what Ireland's next government may look like. The arithmetic to form a majority could prove tricky, though, with the country's several smaller parties – and many independents – potentially jockeying for a place in government.
One key flashpoint in the lacklustre three-week campaign arose out of Donald Trump's presidential election victory in the US, which brought heightened concern around what his proposals for corporation tax and tariffs could mean for Ireland.
As such, the scale of Sinn Fein's spending proposals have been dubbed as irresponsible by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, who have argued that Ireland needs to prepare for potential trade shocks with more prudent financial management.
At the same time, a Sinn Fein pledge to instigate an independent review into Irish national broadcaster RTE's coverage of Gaza and other international conflicts was met with criticism by the party's opponents, and the National Union of Journalists.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael's campaign has been plagued with several controversies which Taoiseach Simon Harris has been unable to shake.
Harris has repeatedly apologised for a much-criticised encounter in which he was accused of dismissing the concerns of a disability care worker at a supermarket, which had been filmed by RTE. It later emerged that a member of the Fine Gael team contacted RTE about the interaction prior to publication.
The Fine Gael campaign has also been dogged by footage entering the public domain which showed a candidate engaged in a fight outside a pub.
Elsewhere, an endorsement of a Fine Gael candidate from outspoken Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was welcomed by senior party figures.
Some Fianna Fail figures have been accused of sexism over their criticisms of Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Fine Gael's deputy leader.
The final results will immediately kick-start government formation speculation – amid the possibility that more than three parties will be needed to get over the line.
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
source: PA
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