On this cold november morning Irish citizens are heading to polling-stations across the country‚ as Simon Harris and his Fine Gael party try to keep their position in government. A last-minute pre-election budget of 10‚5 billion euros (funded by foreign companies taxes) might help them succeed
The latest opinion-polls show a tight three-way race: Fianna Fail leads with 21%‚ while both Fine Gael and Sinn Fein are at 20%. This marks a big change from just last year when Sinn Fein was leading polls by 15 points; their support dropped after voters questioned their immigration stand-point
The campaign has been full of mis-steps for Harris‚ including a now-viral video where he walked away from a care-worker (something that cost his party many support points). Still Fine Gael and their long-time rivals-turned-partners Fianna Fail seem ready to continue their historic partnership thats lasted almost 100 years
- Housing costs remain too high
- Public services need improvement
- Healthcare system requires changes
- Immigration policy debates continue
Local voter Hilda Conway shared her thoughts: “Things arent perfect but we need stability not just change for changes sake“. Meanwhile student Sarah Eoghan disagreed saying “We need real change in our country; housing is impossible for young people“
The exit-poll results will come out at 10pm tonight with final counting happening through the week-end. Both main parties will probably need extra support from smaller political groups to form a working government