DStv Channel 403 Sunday, 08 December 2024

Ireland to hold general election on 29 November

DUBLIN - Ireland will hold a general election on 29 November, Prime Minister Simon Harris said on Wednesday, with his centre-right Fine Gael party tipped to win a fourth consecutive term.

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"It is my intention to seek the dissolution of the Dail (Irish parliament) on Friday, and I hope we have polling day on 29 November," Harris told broadcaster RTE, with the president set to approve the date as a formality.

During the last parliamentary term, Harris's centre-right Fine Gael shared power with another centre-right party Fianna Fail, with the role of prime minister rotating between the two party leaders.

The smaller Green Party made up the outgoing governing coalition.

At the last election in 2020 Fine Gael, which has been in office since 2011, dropped to third place behind Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the paramilitary IRA group, and Fianna Fail.

Harris replaced predecessor Leo Varadkar in April aged just 37 making him Ireland's youngest ever premier.

Since taking over, the social media-savvy Harris, now 38, who the media has dubbed the "TikTok Taoiseach" -- the term for the Irish prime minister, pronounced "Tee-shock" -- has re-energised Fine Gael and led a robust recovery in their opinion poll ratings.

In contrast, Sinn Fein has slumped in polls during the year and now trails in third behind Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

Themes likely to dominate the short election campaign are the economy, a persistent housing supply crisis and migration policy.

Whether Fine Gael and Fianna Fail secure a majority without needing a third coalition partner is seen by analysts as the main factor to watch.

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