The Irish General Election 2024 has seen Fianna Fáil leading a tight three-way battle between Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, with the majority of seats declared. The turnout was 59.7%, the lowest in over a century, and political pundits predict that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael could secure a combined total of over 80 seats.
Irish General Election 2024
Majority of Seats Declared
The majority of seats in the Irish parliament have been filled, with Fianna Fáil leading a tight three-way battle between Fine Gael and Sinn Féin.
Election Details
-
Turnout: 59.7% (lowest in more than a century)
-
First preference percentage share for the largest three parties:
-
Fianna Fáil: 21.9%
-
Fine Gael: 20.8%
-
Sinn Féin: 19.0%
Party Projections
-
Fianna Fáil is projected to win the most seats, with a combined total of over 80 seats possible with Fine Gael.
-
Sinn Féin is predicted to secure around 40 seats.
Notable Election Results
-
The leaders of the three main Irish political parties were all re-elected to serve in the Dáil (lower house of Irish parliament).
-
Sinn Féin says it also wants to be in the next government, but based on current predictions, the scale of the challenge facing Sinn Féin is enormous.
Gerry Hutch Election Outcome
Gerry Hutch, a gangland figure, received over 3,000 first preference votes but ultimately lost his seat to Labour’s Marie Sherlock.
Initial Counts and Party Projections
Election Turnout and Projections
The election had a turnout of 59.7% – the lowest in more than a century. Political pundits are currently predicting that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael could secure a combined total of more than 80 seats – within touching distance of the golden figure of 88 TDs needed to secure a majority in the Dáil.
Key Moments and Surplus
The key moment came when Social Democratic candidate Gary Gannon got elected much earlier than expected, which set in motion a series of transfers that allowed Labour’s Marie Sherlock to close the gap with Hutch. In the end, the surplus from Paschal Donohoe pushed her past Hutch securing the last seat.
Candidate Statements
He is known as a man of few words, but when asked by BBC NI if he planned to run again for election he said he would. He also said he wasn’t surprised by the more than 3,000 first preference votes he received.
But as one tally expert suggested it could easily have turned in favour of Hutch and while there was a narrow path to victory for Sherlock no-one expected her to find it.
