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The counting of votes has begun in the Irish general elections, as exit polls suggest a close contest between the three main parties, with the left-wing opposition Sinn Fein holding a narrow lead, Al Jazeera reported.
The counting of votes started at 09:00 GMT on Saturday with partial results expected throughout the day. However, a final result might not be clear for days as Ireland's proportional representation system sees the votes of eliminated candidates redistributed during multiple rounds of counting. According to the exit poll conducted by Ipsos B&A on Friday, Sinn Fein, which backs Irish unity, led with 21.1 per cent of the vote. According to Ipsos B&A, Ireland's two centre-right parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, which are coalition partners in the outgoing government had 21 per cent and 19.5 per cent of the vote respectively, according to Al Jazeera report. Eoin O'Malley, a political scientist at Dublin City University, said that if the poll proves right, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are likely to hold onto power. She said that the two coalition partners will still require the support of several smaller parties to secure an 88-seat majority. Sinn Fein's President Mary Lou McDonald, has expressed hopes that her party will be able to oust the centre-right, describing the elections held on Friday as "a historic day where we can elect a new government for change". During the last parliamentary term, the position of Prime Minister rotated between the leaders of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, with the latter's Simon Harris most recently assuming the office. Harris (38) is the youngest-ever Taoiseach or Ireland's PM and was on solid footing when he called for a snap election. However, his party lost ground after a video went viral in which he appeared rude and dismissive to a care worker on the campaign trail. The election campaign that was conducted for three weeks was marked by rancour over public spending, housing and cost-of-living crises, and immigration. The two centre-right parties highlighted their pro-business and pro-EU credentials and stressed that voting for them in the polls would ensure stability, particularly with turmoil abroad and the risk of external shocks. Ireland's economy depends on foreign direct investment and corporate tax returns, particularly from tech and pharma giants of the US. However, threats from US President-elect Donald Trump to impose tariffs on imports and repatriate corporate tax of US firms from nations like Ireland have sparked concern for the economic model of Ireland. During the general election in 2020, Sinn Fein won the popular vote. However, she was not able to find coalition partners to form the government, which resulted in weeks of horsetrading, which ended up with Fine Gael which assumed power in 2011 after agreeing to a deal with Fianna Fail, Al Jazeera reported. McDonald's Sinn Fein saw a dip in support in 2023 due to her progressive stance on social issues and migration policy, as immigration became an important election issue, Al Jazeera reported. However, it rallied on the back of a campaign mainly focused on housing policy and called it the only alternative to Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, which have swapped power since Irish independence from the UK in 1921. (ANI)
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