Irish general election 2024 - statistics & facts
The Republic of Ireland will hold its next general election on November 29, 2024. Although this election could have been held as late as March 2025, the decision to call a snap election was widely anticipated. The current Prime Minister (Taoiseach), Simon Harris, called the election following a giveaway budget for 2025, and a recent uptick in polling for his party Fine Gael, especially at the expense of the main opposition party, Sinn Féin. Since the last election in 2020, Ireland has been ruled by a coalition government consisting of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party, which rotated the role of Prime Minister from Fianna Fáil to Fine Gael halfway through its term in 2022.
According to a survey conducted in April 2024, housing was seen by 64 percent of people in Ireland as one of the top two issues facing the country, ahead of inflation and the cost of living at 40 percent. Despite a growing population, the number of new housing units has not kept up with this growth, resulting in a housing crisis, pushing up house prices and renting costs, especially in Dublin. Ireland's broken housing system has also exacerbated the country's homelessness crisis, with the number of people experiencing homelessness reaching 14,760 in September 2024, compared with around 10,000 just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and under 4,000 in early 2015. Two years prior to this survey, at the height of the global inflation crisis, inflation and the cost of living was seen by 65 percent of people as a top two issue, and although still an important issue, has gradually subsided after inflation peaked at 9.2 percent in October 2022. More recently, in a September 2024 survey which asked voters what issues were getting their attention one of the main topics raised was that of bike shelter built at the Irish Parliament (Leinster House), which was estimated to have cost around 360,000 Euros, and was seen by an annoyed public as evidence of the government's inefficiency.
Ireland's ruling parties seek to avoid incumbency backlash
Following a healthy budget surplus, in part down to a 14 billion Euro tax ruling against Apple in Ireland's favor, the Irish government has been able to avoid unpopular tax rises or spending cuts just prior to the election. Due to this, Ireland may buck the current trend of electorates voting against incumbent parties evident throughout global elections in 2024. Until the last week of the election, Fine Gael were slightly ahead of Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin, with the polls tightening substantially in the closing days of the campaign. Furthermore, there has been a noticeable uptick in people saying they would vote for independent candidates, indicating some degree of dissatisfaction with Ireland's ruling class, especially with regard to specific issues.According to a survey conducted in April 2024, housing was seen by 64 percent of people in Ireland as one of the top two issues facing the country, ahead of inflation and the cost of living at 40 percent. Despite a growing population, the number of new housing units has not kept up with this growth, resulting in a housing crisis, pushing up house prices and renting costs, especially in Dublin. Ireland's broken housing system has also exacerbated the country's homelessness crisis, with the number of people experiencing homelessness reaching 14,760 in September 2024, compared with around 10,000 just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and under 4,000 in early 2015. Two years prior to this survey, at the height of the global inflation crisis, inflation and the cost of living was seen by 65 percent of people as a top two issue, and although still an important issue, has gradually subsided after inflation peaked at 9.2 percent in October 2022. More recently, in a September 2024 survey which asked voters what issues were getting their attention one of the main topics raised was that of bike shelter built at the Irish Parliament (Leinster House), which was estimated to have cost around 360,000 Euros, and was seen by an annoyed public as evidence of the government's inefficiency.
