The counting for the Irish General Election 2024 concluded on Monday evening, December 2, more than 72 hours after polls opened across Ireland on Friday, November 29.
The top three parties are unchanged since Ireland’s last General Election, which was held in February 2020. Fianna Fáil has won 48 Dáil seats this time around, while Sinn Féin won 39 and Fine Gael won 38.
Each of the top three parties also saw gains on 2020 - Fianna Fáil is up 10 seats, Sinn Féin is up two, and Fine Gael is up three.
However, the number of seats in the Dáil Éireann has also increased since 2020, from 160 to 174. The number of constituencies also increased from 39 to 43.
Irish General Election 2024 results - number of Dáil seats each party won:
- Fianna Fáil: 48 (+10)
- Sinn Féin: 39 (+2)
- Fine Gael: 38 (+3)
- Independent: 16 (-3)
- Labour: 11 (+5)
- Social Democrats: 11 (+9)
- Independent Ireland: 4 (N/A)
- People Before Profit / Solidarity: 3 (-2)
- Green Party: 1 (-11)
- Aontú: 2 (+1)
- Other: 1
With 174 seats up for grabs in this year's election, one party would have needed to win at least 88 seats to win the majority and thus control of the Dail.
However, no one party fielded enough candidates in the Irish General Election 2024 to win the majority outright.
As such, Ireland is likely heading for another coalition government, where parties come together as a bloc to reach the majority.
The results of the Irish General Election 2020 also gave way to a three-way coalition between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and The Green Party. Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil), Leo Varadkar (Fine Gael), and Simon Harris (Fine Gael) all served as Taoiseach at different points during the outgoing Dáil.
With a combined 86 seats, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will likely be a part of Ireland's new coalition government. While on the campaign trail, the leaders of both parties vowed not to go into coalition with Sinn Féin.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin said earlier on Monday before counting was finalized that it was contacting the leaders of the Social Democrats, Labour, and "other progressive TDs and groupings this week."
With a combined 61 seats, a Sinn Féin - Social Democrats - Labour coalition would need lots of support from other 'progressives' to reach a majority.
As parties begin to contact each other in hopes of forming a majority-winning coalition, discussions will now turn to a timeline of when Ireland's next Government will be formed.
TD Jack Chambers, Ireland's Minister for Finance, told RTÉ on Monday: “I don’t expect a government to be formed in mid-December, when the Dáil is due to meet on the 18th of December, probably a Ceann Comhairle (speaker) can be elected, and there’ll have to be time and space taken to make sure we can form a coherent, stable government.
“I don’t think it should take five months like it did the last time – Covid obviously complicated that.
"But I think all political parties need to take the time to see what’s possible and try and form a stable government for the Irish people.”
Meanwhile, RTÉ News reports that Fianna Fáil won 21.9% of the first preference votes, followed by Fine Gael with 20.8%, and Sinn Féin with 19%.
Voter turnout in the Irish General Election 2024 sunk to 59.7% from 62.9% in 2020. This year's election saw the lowest turnout since 1923, the last time the number was below 60%.
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