Voters to take to the polls in Irish general election
Polling stations will open on Friday for the Irish general election, allowing voters to select representatives to serve as Teachtaí Dála (TDs) in the Dáil, the lower house of Ireland’s parliament. Voting will take place from 07:00 to 22:00 local time.
This election follows a three-week campaign, and voters will choose 173 TDs, with one additional seat allocated to the Ceann Comhairle (Speaker). The next Dáil, the 34th, will consist of 174 TDs, an increase from 160 in 2020. A majority will require 88 TDs.
The new TDs will represent 43 constituencies across the Republic of Ireland. Over 3.4 million people are registered to vote.
To participate in the election, voters must be at least 18 years old, an Irish or British citizen, a resident of Ireland, and included on the Irish Electoral Register.
Election candidates include representatives from the three main parties – outgoing coalition partners Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and the leading opposition party in the outgoing Dáíl, Sinn Féin.
These parties are joined by many smaller parties and a significant number of independent candidates.
The counting of votes begins on Saturday morning and is expected to continue over the weekend and possibly into the following week.
The first sitting of the 34th Dáil is scheduled for Wednesday 18 December at 10:30.
A government will be officially formed when the Dáil passes a vote to install a new taoiseach (Irish prime minister).
