The next parliamentary elections in Ireland will be held on November 29, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris announced last night, quoted by PA Media/DPA.
Tomorrow he will visit the president's residence to demand the dissolution of the lower house of parliament, just months before its maximum five-year term expires.
The decision to hold an election will kick off a short election campaign that will last just a few weeks.
The upcoming vote ends the historic coalition that was formed in mid-2020, uniting “Fina Gale” and “Fina Foyle” in an agreement that ended the rivalry between the two parties dating back to the Irish War of Independence.
Ireland will elect more members of parliament this year after the number was increased from 160 to 174 due to population growth. The number of constituencies also increased from 39 to 43.
After election day, the continuous counting of ballots by hand will begin. Because Ireland uses a proportional representation system, ballots must be counted multiple times, which can take days.