The leaders of the three largest parties in Ireland have voted in a “close-fought” General Election that could see one of them become the country’s next premier.
Current Taoiseach Simon Harris said he expects a “fascinating couple of days” after he submitted his ballot minutes after polling stations opened.
Political leaders stepped out in driving rain on Friday to vote, with the exception of Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns – who gave birth to a baby girl on polling day.
The Cork South-West candidate posted a picture of her cradling her daughter on Instagram with the caption “she’s here”.
Friday also saw key monthly figures on the level of homelessness published as people voted.
They showed another record high of 14,966 people, including 4,645 children, were housed in emergency accommodation last month, according to the Department of Housing tally.
Speaking after voting on Friday, Mr Harris said that the make-up and stability of the next government could be decided by where transfer votes go – a key part of Ireland’s complex electoral system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV).
“I’m feeling really hopeful, hopeful in terms of the election, but hopeful for the future of our country,” he said as he called on people to “use your voice, use your vote”.
In an election which has seen several opinion polls put the three main parties – Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and opposition party Sinn Fein – within touching distance of one another, turnout is expected to be another crucial factor.
“I encourage people to vote – it’s a key part of our democracy. The weather notwithstanding, we encourage people to come out to vote but yes, it is a pity that it’s such a wet morning,” he told reporters in Cork City.
The Tanaiste attended his polling station at St Anthony’s Boys National School in Ballinlough, with his wife Mary, his daughter Aoibhe, and his sons Micheal Aodh and Cillian.
The Fianna Fail leader said his party had run a positive campaign in a “close-fought race” as he argued for the formation of a “coherent, stable” government.
She said it was a particularly significant election for younger people as she urged people to vote.
“I just want to encourage everybody to come out and make their mark on what can be, in my belief, a really significant, in fact, a historic day where we can elect a new government for change,” she said.
Irish president Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina cast their votes at their local polling station in the Phoenix Park as the leaders of smaller parties also came out early to vote.
Aontu leader Peadar Toibin voted in Johnstown, Navan; People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett voted in Glasthule, Dublin; while Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan voted in Scoil Mhuire in Howth.
The three largest parties were virtually neck-and-neck heading into polling day, with one party leader describing the race as “too close to call”.
The latest poll, a Red C-Business Post survey, shows support for Fianna Fail unchanged at 21%, only slightly ahead of its coalition partner, Fine Gael, which is down two percentage points at 20% and now tied with the largest opposition party, Sinn Fein, which has gained two.
The polls opened at 7am and will close at 10pm, with a total of 174 seats in the country’s parliament to be filled – more than ever before.
After the 2020 general election delivered an inconclusive result, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, two parties forged from opposing sides of Ireland’s Civil War of the 1920s, 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, Ms McDonald fielded many more candidates in a vow not to repeat past mistakes, as she urged voters to elect a government of change without Fine Gael or Fianna Fail.
It will end a lacklustre three-week campaign that seemed to fail to ignite a surge of enthusiasm among the public, after the election was officially called by Mr Harris on November 8.
That decision was ultimately his prerogative, and occurred while Fine Gael was enjoying a lift in the polls after he took over as leader from Leo Varadkar earlier this year.
It also came at a time when Sinn Fein was beset by a string of controversies in the preceding weeks – including former party members writing job references for a colleague who was later convicted of child sex crimes.
But opinions polls suggest the parties’ fortunes have since shifted, with the opposition party making gains as Fine Gael suffered a slide.
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.
But the campaigning tactic has been derided as “project fear” and “desperate scaremongering” by critics.
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.
Mr Harris described the proposal as “chilling”, with others noting that several party figures, including Ms McDonald, had taken legal actions against journalists and media outlets.
Mr 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. Ms McDonald took her opportunity to use Mr Harris’s own words against him, characterising the development as “chilling”.
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.
John McGahon had been found not guilty in a criminal case around the incident, but was ordered to pay damages in a civil case.
Elsewhere, an endorsement of a Fine Gael candidate from outspoken Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary was welcomed by senior party figures, albeit in a qualified nature after he suggested teachers should not run the country. One such teacher in government is Mr Martin.
His party’s platform also faced criticism over its proposals to decriminalise cannabis for personal use.
It formed part of a wider row on handling the justice portfolio, which has come into sharp relief in the context of 2023’s Dublin riots and a perception that the capital is unsafe.
Some Fianna Fail figures have been accused of sexism over their criticisms of the Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Fine Gael’s deputy leader.
Green leader Roderic O’Gorman has said it looks likely his government partners will be returned to power, but cautioned they could seek an “easier life” over the next five years.
He said this could result in “right-wing independents” or “small populist parties” padding out the numbers.
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.
The protracted process of counting ballots by hand will begin on Saturday.
As Ireland uses a system of proportional representation where candidates are ranked by preference, the voting slips need to be counted several times – an undertaking which can last days.
