General · EdgepediaSeptember 17, 20265 min read

Next Irish general election

The next Irish general election will elect the 35th Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas. It must be held no later than 17 December 2029, five years from the first meeting of the current 34th Dáil on 18 December 2024, though the Taoiseach may call it earlier at any time.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Latest possible date	17 December 2029, computed from the 34th Dáil's first meeting on 18 December 2024; the Inter-Parliamentary Union lists 30 November 2029 as the expected date¹^•³
Seats	174 TDs, an increase from 160 adopted through the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 after the Electoral Commission's Constituency Review⁴^•³
Electoral system	Proportional representation by single transferable vote (PR-STV) in constituencies returning 3, 4, or 5 seats⁵
Who can vote and run	Irish or British citizens on the register of Dáil electors may vote; candidates must be Irish citizens aged at least 21 by polling day⁶^•²
Incumbent government	Fianna Fáil–Fine Gael coalition approved on 22 January 2025, with Micheál Martin as Taoiseach until November 2027 and Simon Harris due to take over for the rest of the term³
Recent polling	September 2026 Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll put Sinn Féin on a five-point lead, with combined Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael support down 20 points from October 2022⁷

Timing and how the election is called

Under Article 13.2.1° of the Constitution, the President dissolves Dáil Éireann on the advice of the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach can ask for a dissolution at any time, and the President can refuse only if the Taoiseach has already lost the Dáil's confidence.⁴ Once the Dáil is dissolved, a general election must be held within 30 days.⁸ The 2024 election itself was called this way: on 8 November 2024 Taoiseach Simon Harris advised President Michael D. Higgins to dissolve the Dáil, and polling took place on 29 November, three months earlier than the statutory maximum.²^•³

The exact date is therefore a political choice. Since 1997, the gap between Irish general elections has averaged 4.6 years, well short of the five-year legal maximum.¹ Among the dates observers are watching is one set out in the coalition's program for government: on 16 November 2027, Micheál Martin is scheduled to step down as Taoiseach, and Simon Harris is to replace him for the rest of the term.¹

Electoral system

Voting is by proportional representation with a single transferable vote. Voters rank as many or as few candidates as they wish in order of preference; the first preference is always counted, and lower preferences come into play as transfers when a candidate is eliminated or elected with a surplus.⁵ Each constituency returns 3, 4, or 5 seats depending on population, and the Constitution requires that no constituency return fewer than three members.⁵^•⁹

The quota in each constituency is calculated by dividing the total valid poll by the number of seats plus one and adding one; a candidate reaching it is deemed elected, and surpluses above the quota are transferred to continuing candidates.⁵ Counting can take from several hours to several days; after the 2024 election, ballots filled all 174 seats over three days of counting.¹⁰

The outgoing Dáil and government

The November 2024 election produced a Dáil of 174 members in which Fianna Fáil won 48 seats, Sinn Féin 39, and Fine Gael 38, with the Social Democrats and Labour on 11 each, Independents on 16, and smaller parties including Independent Ireland (4), Solidarity–People Before Profit (3), Aontú (2), the Green Party (1), and 100% Redress (1).³ Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, governing in coalition since 2020, fell just short of the 88 seats needed for a majority and formed a government with the support of independent TDs, approved on 22 January 2025.¹⁰^•³ The Green Party, the outgoing junior coalition partner, fell from 12 seats to one.³

Two vacancies have since been filled by bye-elections on 22 May 2026: Seán Kyne won Galway West after Catherine Connolly's election as President, and Daniel Ennis won Dublin Central after Paschal Donohoe's resignation; both took their seats on 26 May 2026.¹¹

Campaign issues and polling picture

Cost of living, and housing in particular, dominated the 2024 campaign, alongside immigration; the same issues have continued to shape polling during the current Dáil's term.¹⁰ In April 2026 the government survived a confidence vote, 92 votes to 78, over its handling of fuel protests that had blocked oil supplies and left pumps dry, an episode that illustrated the fragility of its working majority.¹²

Polling through 2026 shows a fragmented field. The September 2026 Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll recorded Sinn Féin with a five-point lead, Labour and Independent Ireland on 4 percent each, and the Greens and People Before Profit–Solidarity on 3 percent each; combined Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael support stood at 62 percent of the level the two parties achieved at the 2024 election, a decline of 20 points from their October 2022 standing.⁷ Seat projections built from these polls carry wide ranges under PR-STV: one tracker's median projection gives Sinn Féin 42 seats with an 80 percent range of 25 to 60, and puts the chance of an FF–FG-plus-independents majority at 39.7 percent.¹³ Transfers add further uncertainty: roughly 30 percent of votes transfer at least once during a count, and transfer patterns between parties can decide close constituencies.¹⁴

References

Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026