Ireland’s incumbent parties look likely to stay in power after election collapse | Real Time Headlines

Ireland’s two long-dominant center-right parties look likely to form a new government as results from a national election diverge despite a reduction in vote share and future coalition talks become complicated.

Counting continues on Sunday, with the current ruling Fine Gael Party, Fine Gael and the center-left opposition Sinn Féin vying for seats in the 174-seat lower house of Ireland’s parliament.

Sinn Féin aims to reunify the Republic of Ireland with the British territory of Northern Ireland, but it lacks a clear path to power as the other two parties have said they will not work with Sinn Féin, in part because of Sinn Féin’s history with the IRA Contacts during thirty years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland.

Fine Gael’s outgoing Taoiseach Simon Harris, Fine Gael leader Michael Martin and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald all won re-election to their parliamentary seats in results released on Saturday.

Ireland uses a complex proportional representation system in which several legislators are elected to each of the country’s 43 constituencies, with voters ranking the candidates in order of preference. Therefore, it may take several days before complete results are known.

“The Irish people have now spoken,” Harris said. “We now have to figure out exactly what they said, and that’s going to take some time.”

Partial results from Friday’s election showed voters casting their votes broadly toward the three major parties, several smaller parties and a variety of independent candidates, with any coalition likely to involve smaller parties or independents.

The cost of living – and in particular Ireland’s severe housing crisis – is a major talking point in the three-week election campaign, as is immigration, which has become an exciting and challenging issue in the country of 5.4 million question.

If the early results are confirmed, Ireland could buck a global trend of incumbents being ousted by disaffected voters after years of pandemics, international instability and cost-of-living pressures.

The outgoing government is led by the two parties that have dominated Irish politics for the past century. Fine Gael and Fine Gael have similar policies but are long-time rivals, originating from opposing sides in the Irish Civil War of the 1920s. They formed a coalition after the 2020 election nearly ended in a draw.

Fine Gael candidate and outgoing government minister Pascal Donoghue said the election was about “one of centrism”.

Still, voter dissatisfaction was reflected in some unexpected results. Among a slew of independent candidates is Gerry “the Monk” Hutch, a prominent organized crime boss who won the election last November after being released on bail in Spain on money laundering charges. Outpouring of support.

Part of the results suggest Hutch, who was acquitted of killing a gangland rival last year, is likely to win a seat in Dublin.