Ireland's ruling coalition loses parliamentary majority in general election

By Behlul Cetinkaya

LONDON (AA) - Ireland's governing coalition failed to secure the 88 seats needed to form a government in the general election held on Nov. 29.

In the 174-seat Dail, or House of Representatives, Fianna Fail emerged as the largest party, maintaining its position from the 2020 elections. Led by Micheal Martin, who serves as Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defense, the party increased its seats from 38 to 48.

Prime Minister Simon Harris's Fine Gael party finished third, slightly improving its seat count from 35 to 38.

The Green Party, a junior coalition partner, saw a dramatic decline from 12 to just one seat.

The election results left the coalition partners with 87 seats, short of the majority threshold.

Meanwhile, several ministers lost their seats, including Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, Tourism Minister Catherine Martin and Minister of State Anne Rabbitte.

- Lowest turnout since 1923

Ireland’s main opposition party Sinn Fein, which advocates for Irish unification, remained the second-largest party, increasing its seats from 37 to 39.

The Labour Party and Social Democrats each won 11 seats, while 16 independent candidates also secured parliamentary positions.

The recently formed 100% Redress Party managed to win one seat.

Voter turnout was notably low, with only 59.7% of the 3.4 million registered voters participating -- the lowest since 1923.

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik indicated that she would consult with the Social Democrats and Green Party to map out potential government formation strategies.

The parliament was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on Nov. 8 at the request of Harris.