Vote counting begins in tight Irish election

Ireland's general election exit poll shows Sinn Fein, Fine Gael, and Fianna Fail in a tight race for power.

Vote counting in Ireland's general election gets underway on Saturday (November 30, 2024) with an exit poll indicating a tight finish between the three main parties.

After voting concluded on late Friday (November 29, 2024), an exit poll indicated that pro-Irish unity party Sinn Fein were leading with 21.1% of the vote.

But neck and neck on 21.0% was the centre-right Fine Gael whose leader is the outgoing prime minister Simon Harris.

Fine Gael's centre-right partner in the outgoing coalition -- Fianna Fail, led by deputy prime minister Micheal Martin -- were slightly further back in third with 19.5%.

Counting begins at 0900 GMT Saturday with partial results expected throughout the day.

A final result, however, may not be clear for days as EU member Ireland's proportional representation system sees votes of eliminated candidates redistributed during multiple rounds of counting.

During the last parliamentary term, the role of Prime Minister rotated between the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael leaders.