# Next Irish general election
The next Irish general election will elect the 35th [Dáil Éireann](https://www.edgepedia.org/dail-eireann), the lower house of the [Oireachtas](https://www.edgepedia.org/oireachtas), and must be held no later than 17 December 2029, five years after the current Dáil first met on 18 December 2024.[1](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/next-election/) • [2](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/press-releases/general-election-on-29-november-2024/) The election will use proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV), the system used for all Irish general elections since the state's foundation.[3](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/irelands-voting-system/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Latest possible date | 17 December 2029, the five-year limit from the first meeting of the current Dáil on 18 December 2024[1](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/next-election/) • [2](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/press-releases/general-election-on-29-november-2024/) |
| Historical timing | Since 1997, the gap between Irish general elections has averaged 4.6 years, well short of the five-year maximum[1](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/next-election/) |
| Seats and constituencies | 174 seats across 43 constituencies, the largest Dáil in the history of the State[4](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/app/uploads/2025/06/PEER_General-Election-2024_English.pdf) |
| Electoral system | Proportional representation by the single transferable vote; constituencies return 3, 4 or 5 seats depending on population[3](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/irelands-voting-system/) |
| Candidate rules | A candidate must be a citizen of Ireland and at least 21 years of age by polling day[2](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/press-releases/general-election-on-29-november-2024/) |
| Incumbent government | A Fianna Fáil–Fine Gael coalition, with Micheál Martin due to resign as Taoiseach on 16 November 2027 and Simon Harris taking over for the rest of the term[1](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/next-election/) |
| Latest polling (Sept 2026) | Sinn Féin 23%, Fianna Fáil 18%, Fine Gael 17%, Social Democrats 8%, Independents 14%[5](https://www.ipsosbanda.ie/irish-times-ipsos-ba-poll-sept-2026/) |
## Timing and how the election is called
A general election in Ireland begins when the [Taoiseach](https://www.edgepedia.org/taoiseach) advises the President to dissolve Dáil Éireann under [Article 13](https://www.edgepedia.org/article-13).2 of the Constitution. Before the 2024 election, this advice from Taoiseach Simon Harris led President Michael D. Higgins to dissolve the Dáil and summon the incoming one for 18 December 2024, with polling day set for Friday, 29 November 2024 and polling hours from 7am to 10pm.[2](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/press-releases/general-election-on-29-november-2024/) The same mechanism will govern the next election: the Taoiseach of the day chooses the date within the constitutional limit.
The 2024 campaign showed how compressed the timetable can be. The Dáil was proclaimed dissolved on 8 November 2024, the deadline for postal vote applications fell just two days later on 10 November, nominations closed on 16 November, and polling took place 21 days after dissolution.[4](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/app/uploads/2025/06/PEER_General-Election-2024_English.pdf) An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the Electoral Commission, noted in its review that these short statutory deadlines created difficulties for voters who qualify for a postal vote but do not know they need one until the date is announced, and restricted the time available for sending and returning ballots through overseas embassies.[4](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/app/uploads/2025/06/PEER_General-Election-2024_English.pdf)
A date of interest to some observers comes ahead of any campaign: per the program for government of the [Fianna Fáil](https://www.edgepedia.org/fianna-fail)–Fine Gael coalition, [Micheál Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/micheal-martin) is set to step down as Taoiseach on 16 November 2027, with Simon Harris replacing him for the remainder of the term.[1](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/next-election/) The rotation mirrors the arrangement in the 2020–24 coalition, this time weighted more favorably toward Fianna Fáil, who hold the post until the end of 2027.[6](https://pure.tudublin.ie/ws/portalfiles/portal/67777880/gsaf014.pdf)
## The electoral system
Dáil elections use PR-STV, a candidate-based system in which voters rank as many or as few candidates as they like in order of preference. The first preference is always counted; later preferences come into play as transfers when a candidate is eliminated or elected with a surplus.[3](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/irelands-voting-system/) The quota in each constituency is calculated by dividing the total number of valid ballot papers by the number of seats plus one, then adding one; a candidate who reaches this figure is deemed elected.[3](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/irelands-voting-system/)
Constituencies return 3, 4 or 5 seats depending on population size, and boundaries are revised after each census to keep the ratio of members to population as even as practicable across the country, a requirement set out in the [Constitution of Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/constitution-of-ireland).[3](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/irelands-voting-system/) • [7](https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html) Following An Coimisiún's Constituency Review Report 2023, the number of constituencies increased from 39 to 43, and around 800,000 people lived in a constituency that was new or different compared with the 2020 election.[4](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/app/uploads/2025/06/PEER_General-Election-2024_English.pdf)
Because counting is manual and transfers can decide seats, full results can take between several hours and several days.[8](https://apnews.com/article/987733afb259859d88c84ebb60203b09)
## The 2024 baseline
The 2024 general election, held on 29 November 2024, elected 174 TDs across 43 constituencies, the largest Dáil in the history of the State.[4](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/app/uploads/2025/06/PEER_General-Election-2024_English.pdf) An exit poll conducted by Ipsos B&A among 5,018 voters put [Sinn Féin](https://www.edgepedia.org/sinn-fein) at 21.1%, [Fine Gael](https://www.edgepedia.org/fine-gael) at 21% and Fianna Fáil at 19.5%, with the three biggest parties on roughly equal shares.[8](https://apnews.com/article/987733afb259859d88c84ebb60203b09) In an exception to the anti-incumbent pattern seen in many countries that year, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael took the two largest shares of the vote; their combined first-preference vote fell by just 0.4 points, to 42.7%, compared with the 2020 general election.[9](https://apnews.com/article/b7b632a04e7eb5df9a54b9766ed7b7b3) • [10](https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2024/1204/1484398-election-24-incumbents-analysis-fianna-fail-fine-gael/)
The result produced another coalition of the two historic center-right parties, joined by Independent TDs. Sinn Féin won 39 seats but was unlikely to enter government, as neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael would work with it.[11](https://apnews.com/article/a51f5a4b8b7a102b974c650c740352d5) Fianna Fáil won 38 seats and 20.80% of first-preference votes in 2024.[12](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/parties)
## Polling and parties ahead of the election
Opinion polling through 2026 shows a fragmented landscape with Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael running close together. A July 2026 Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll put Fine Gael at 20%, one point above Sinn Féin and three above Fianna Fáil, the first time Fine Gael had led a poll outright since November 2024; it also recorded the [Social Democrats](https://www.edgepedia.org/social-democrats-ireland) unchanged on 12%, [Independent Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/independent-ireland) down two points to 7%, and Aontú unchanged on 6%.[13](https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0704/1581804-political-poll-fine-gael/) The September 2026 Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll had Sinn Féin leading on 23%, with Fianna Fáil on 18%, Fine Gael on 17%, the Social Democrats on 8%, Aontú on 5%, Labour and Independent Ireland on 4% each, and the Greens and PBP-[Solidarity](https://www.edgepedia.org/solidarity) on 3% each; Independents and others stood at 14%.[5](https://www.ipsosbanda.ie/irish-times-ipsos-ba-poll-sept-2026/)
Two trends stand out in this polling. The Social Democrats are among the fastest-growing parties, polling around 12% in 2026, well above the 4.81% they won in the 2024 election when they took 11 seats.[12](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/parties) At the same time, the combined support of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has fallen well below the 42.7% they recorded in 2024, continuing the long-term decline of the two traditionally dominant parties.[5](https://www.ipsosbanda.ie/irish-times-ipsos-ba-poll-sept-2026/) • [10](https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2024/1204/1484398-election-24-incumbents-analysis-fianna-fail-fine-gael/) Sinn Féin's five-point lead in September 2026 is considerably narrower than the margins it enjoyed during the previous government term.[5](https://www.ipsosbanda.ie/irish-times-ipsos-ba-poll-sept-2026/)
## Campaign issues
Doorstep canvassing during the May 2026 byelections in Dublin Central and Galway West, often read as a test of the wider political mood, showed cost of living and housing at the top of voters' concerns, with immigration, transport, special education and the [Irish language](https://www.edgepedia.org/irish-language) also raised. In Galway West, energy bills and grocery prices dominated for urban voters while fuel costs mattered for commuters; a Government package that reduced fuel prices by some 30 cent per liter took some heat out of the issue, but home heating oil costs remained a concern. Independent Ireland's candidate Noel Thomas made opposition to accommodation for asylum seekers a defining stance of his campaign.[14](https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/05/17/what-are-voters-five-big-issues-in-dublin-central-and-galway-west-byelections/)
The same issues shaped the 2024 campaign and are expected to carry into the next one. Housing was the issue that came up most on the campaign trail, and immigration has risen on the political agenda in a country of 5.4 million people long defined by emigration.[15](https://apnews.com/article/3952d0d0e9d71ca2049f253d90d1a99d) • [11](https://apnews.com/article/a51f5a4b8b7a102b974c650c740352d5)
## Government formation
Under PR-STV, vote share does not translate neatly into seats, and no party has won enough seats to govern alone in recent elections.[9](https://apnews.com/article/b7b632a04e7eb5df9a54b9766ed7b7b3) After the 2024 count, coalition negotiations between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, potentially with Independent TDs, were the most likely path to government, a route that would leave more cabinet positions for both parties than a deal with a smaller party such as the Social Democrats or Labour would.[16](https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/1204/1484586-election-24-analysis/) Whether the two parties continue in coalition after the next election, and whether Micheál Martin leads Fianna Fáil into the campaign, remained open questions in political commentary through mid-2026.[17](https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/07/16/burning-questions-left-as-dail-rises-for-summer-break/)
## References
1. [When Is the Next Irish General Election? 17 December 2029 Deadline & Countdown, IrishPolitics.ie](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/next-election/)
2. [General Election on 29 November 2024, Department of the Taoiseach, gov.ie](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/press-releases/general-election-on-29-november-2024/)
3. [Ireland's voting system, An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Electoral Commission)](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/irelands-voting-system/)
4. [Post Electoral Event Review, General Election, 29 November 2024, An Coimisiún Toghcháin](https://www.electoralcommission.ie/app/uploads/2025/06/PEER_General-Election-2024_English.pdf)
5. [Irish Times/Ipsos B&A Poll – Sept 2026, Ipsos B&A](https://www.ipsosbanda.ie/irish-times-ipsos-ba-poll-sept-2026/)
6. [The Irish general election of 2024: A battle lost before it was fought? (TU Dublin)](https://pure.tudublin.ie/ws/portalfiles/portal/67777880/gsaf014.pdf)
7. [Constitution of Ireland, Irish Statute Book](https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html)
8. [Ireland headed for coalition government following parliamentary election, exit poll suggests, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/987733afb259859d88c84ebb60203b09)
9. [Ireland's incumbent parties look likely to hang on to power after a fractured election, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/b7b632a04e7eb5df9a54b9766ed7b7b3)
10. [Why Election 24 saw FF and FG avoid the incumbents' curse, RTÉ Brainstorm](https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2024/1204/1484398-election-24-incumbents-analysis-fianna-fail-fine-gael/)
11. [With election decided, Ireland faces weeks of talks to form a government, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a51f5a4b8b7a102b974c650c740352d5)
12. [Irish Political Parties 2026: Polls & Seat Projections, IrishPolitics.ie](https://www.irishpolitics.ie/parties)
13. [Fine Gael most popular party in the country – poll, RTÉ News](https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0704/1581804-political-poll-fine-gael/)
14. [What are voters' five big issues in Dublin Central and Galway West byelections? The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/05/17/what-are-voters-five-big-issues-in-dublin-central-and-galway-west-byelections/)
15. [Concerns over housing and immigration make for a volatile campaign in Ireland's election, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/3952d0d0e9d71ca2049f253d90d1a99d)
16. [Election 2024: The power of ten, RTÉ News](https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/1204/1484586-election-24-analysis/)
17. [Burning questions left as Dáil rises for summer break, The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/07/16/burning-questions-left-as-dail-rises-for-summer-break/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Elections and representation › Elections and referendums › National and subnational elections outside the US and UK › European elections outside the UK › Irish elections (Republic of Ireland)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license