Sinn Féin leads in elections: A historical moment for Ireland!

Sinn Féin leads in elections: A historical moment for Ireland!

In a dramatic race for power in Ireland, the vote has started, and the first results indicate an exciting head-to-head race between the three main parties. According to an exit poll from IPSOS B&A, the left-wing nationalist party makes Sinn Fein with 21.1 percent of the vote, just ahead of the two center-right parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, which were able to achieve 21 percent and 19.5 percent. This survey could mark the end of the decades of dominance of the two traditional parties!

The count started on Saturday at 9:00 a.m., and while the first partial results are expected during the day, the final result could take days. Ireland uses a system of proportional representation in which the votes of the retired candidates are redistributed in several rounds. Political scientist Eoin O’Malley from Dublin City University warns that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, the coalition partners of the outgoing government, may be dependent on smaller parties to secure the 88 seats required.

a historical election day

Mary Lou McDonald, the President of Sinn Fein, sees a historical day in these elections, on which there is the opportunity to choose a new government for change. Prime Minister Simon Harris, who gave up his vote with his family in Delgany, was under pressure after being perceived as rude to a caregiver in a viral clip. The last three weeks of the election campaign were shaped by heated debates about housing shortages, living costs and immigration, with both middle-right parties to emphasize their pro-Business and Pro-EU posture.

Ireland's economy depends heavily on foreign direct investments, in particular on US technology and pharmaceutical companies. However, the threats of US President Donald Trump to raise tariffs to imports and bring back corporate taxes have triggered concern about the country's economic model. Sinn Fein, which received the most votes in the last election in 2020, could not find any coalition partners at the time, which led to weekly negotiations. But now the sheet could turn!