Michéal Martin, the leader of Fianna Fáil, is the frontrunner to be the next taoiseach (Irish prime minister).

The Irish General Election 2024 results are in and the top three political parties in Ireland remain unchanged since 2020.

Ireland has proved a partial exception to the anti-incumbent mood in elections around the world. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, which have dominated Irish politics for a century, remain in the driving seat, though their combined share of the vote has declined to just over 40%.

The majority of seats in the Irish parliament have been filled, with the Fianna Fáil party leading a tight three-way battle in the country's general election. With all 43 constituencies' initial counts in, first preference percentage share for the largest three parties was: Fianna Fáil 21.9%, Fine Gael 20.8%, Sinn Féin 19.0%.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has said it is "too close to call" how many seats his party will win in the Irish general election. Exit polls suggest a close contest between the three major parties. Figures show Sinn Féin slightly ahead of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in first preference votes.

However, no one party fielded enough candidates to win the majority in the Irish General Election 2024, paving the way for another coalition Government - the outgoing Dáil Éireann, elected in 2020, saw Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, and The Green Party come together in a coalition.

The polls are set to open for the Irish general election. Polling stations will be open between 07:00 and 22:00 local time on Friday to allow voters to choose representatives to serve as Teachtaí Dála (TDs) in the Dáil, the lower house of the Oireachtas (Ireland's parliament).

Counting is underway for the second day after Ireland’s election. The early results show the historically dominant parties have done enough to remain in government as a Coalition. Ireland Prime Minister Simon Harris says his party “will have a very significant role to play in the years ahead.