News Editor Adam Behan provides the latest information about the general election slated for Friday November 29
On November 8, Taoiseach Simon Harris, standing outside Leinster House, announced that the next general election will be held on Friday November 29. As regulated by the Irish Constitution, the Taoiseach was also required to request President Michael D. Higgins to dissolve Dáil Éireann. The Taoiseach, also leader of Fine Gael, called upon the Irish people to “value your vote” and “use your voice” when making their final decisions in the voting booths on election day.
Less than a week since the official announcement, posters and placards went up on telephone poles and lampposts nationwide, with every major party putting forward multiple candidates in recently revised constituencies, competing for votes against popular independent TDs and other smaller fringe political parties. Any Irish citizen older than 21 can register themselves as a candidate with their local authority, and several prominent figures in Irish life, such as gangster Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, have registered their candidacy for election in their local constituencies, advocating for an anti-establishment vote.
On November 13, UCDSU published their general election manifesto, outlining their key demands for the next government to address issues affecting students in areas like affordable student accommodation and educational reform.
The issues taking centre stage in this election are housing and immigration, with every major party proposing revised plans to increase housing supply to meet the demand. Home ownership is the primary concept characterising these manifestos. Sinn Féin has promised in their ‘A Home of Your Own’ manifesto to provide affordable housing to all and to bring homeownership “back within the reach of working people.” Fine Gael plans to build 303,000 new homes by 2030, at a rate of 60,000 units per year.
Following a riot in North City Centre in Dublin on November 23 last year, the issue of immigration is fresh on the minds of the electorate, who have expressed their scepticism of inward flows of international protection applicants putting a serious strain on communities. Many alternative candidates in the Irish National Party, the Irish Freedom Party, and various independents have opposed ‘mass migration’ and advocate tighter restrictions, which they argue would contribute to improving the housing crisis.
The Irish Times in their Ipsos poll found that the electorate are critical of the use of public funds for functionally dubious projects like the Dáil bike shed, which cost €335,000 to build.
The Republic of Ireland utilises the Proportional Representation via the Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV) system in all of its elections. PR-STV grants the electorate a list of candidates on a ballot paper which they are required to list in order of preference, placing the number 1 next to their most preferred candidate, and 2 next to their second-most preferred candidate, and so on until the bottom of the candidate list. As votes are counted, those candidates who exceed the quota of votes required to be elected, or candidates who gain the fewest votes, have their votes redistributed to the next available candidate proportional to their preference votes.
On November 29, Voting stations will open at 7am and will close at 10pm. If you are registered to vote and are unsure of where to do so, go to Checktheregister.ie and follow their instructions.