2016 Irish general election

The 2016 Irish general election to the 32nd Dáil was held on Friday 26 February, following the dissolution of the 31st Dáil by President Michael D. Higgins on 3 February, at the request of Taoiseach Enda Kenny.[3] The general election took place in 40 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland to elect to elect 158 Teachtaí Dála to Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas.[4] There was a reduction of eight seats under the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013.

2016 Irish general election

26 February 2016

158 seats in Dáil Éireann[lower-alpha 1]
79 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout65.1% Decrease 4.8pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Enda Kenny EPP 2014 (cropped).jpg
Micheal Martin (official portrait) (cropped).jpg
Gerry Adams (official portrait) (cropped).jpg
Leader Enda Kenny Micheál Martin Gerry Adams
Party Fine Gael Fianna Fáil Sinn Féin
Leader since 2 June 2002 26 January 2011 13 November 1983[lower-alpha 2]
Leader's seat Mayo Cork South-Central Louth
Last election 76 seats, 36.1% 20 seats, 17.4% 14 seats, 9.9%
Seats before 66 21 14
Seats won 50[lower-alpha 1] 44 23
Seat change Decrease 16 Increase 23 Increase 9
Popular vote 544,140 519,356 295,319
Percentage 25.5% 24.3% 13.8%
Swing Decrease 10.6% Increase 6.9% Increase 3.9%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Joan Burton 2014 (cropped).jpg
AAA–PBP
I4C
Leader Joan Burton
Party Labour AAA–PBP Inds. 4 Change
Leader since 4 July 2014
Leader's seat Dublin West
Last election 37 seats, 19.4% 4 seats, 2.2%[n 1] New party
Seats before 33 4 4
Seats won 7 6 4
Seat change Decrease 26 Increase 2 Steady 0
Popular vote 140,898 84,168 31,365
Percentage 6.6% 3.9% 1.5%
Swing Decrease 12.8% Increase 1.7%[n 1] New party

  Seventh party Eighth party Ninth party
 
Social Democrats (Ireland) Leadership, 2016.jpg
Eamon Ryan 2015.jpg
Lucinda Creighton 2012 (cropped).jpg
Leader Catherine Murphy
Róisín Shortall
Stephen Donnelly
Eamon Ryan Lucinda Creighton
Party Social Democrats Green Renua
Leader since 15 July 2015 27 May 2011 13 March 2015
Leader's seat Wicklow
Kildare North
Dublin North-West
Dublin Bay South Dublin Bay South (defeated)
Last election New party 0 seats, 1.8% New party
Seats before 3 0 3
Seats won 3 2 0
Seat change Steady 0 Increase 2 Decrease 3
Popular vote 64,094 57,999 46,552
Percentage 3.0% 2.7% 2.2%
Swing New party Increase 0.9% New party


Taoiseach before election

Enda Kenny
Fine Gael

Taoiseach after election

Enda Kenny
Fine Gael

Fine Gael, led by Kenny, lost 26 seats, but remained the largest party in the Dáil with 50 seats. The main opposition party Fianna Fáil, which in 2011 had suffered its worst-ever election result of 20 seats, increased to 44 seats. Sinn Féin became the third-largest party with 23 seats. The Labour Party, which had been the junior party in coalition government with Fine Gael and which had returned its best-ever showing of 37 seats in 2011, fell to just 7 seats, its lowest-ever share of Dáil seats. Smaller parties and independent politicians made up the remaining 34 seats.[5][6]

The 32nd Dáil met on 10 March and elected a new Ceann Comhairle, the first to be elected by secret ballot, which was won by Seán Ó Fearghaíl of Fianna Fáil. The Dáil proceeded to the nomination of Taoiseach, but no candidate received a majority. Kenny formally resigned as Taoiseach that same day, but remained in office carrying out his duties until a new government was formed.[7] Kenny sought an agreement with Fianna Fáil to form a government,[8] and negotiations continued through most of April. An agreement was finally reached for a Fine Gael–led minority government on 29 April, 63 days after the election, and the Dáil formally re-elected Kenny as Taoiseach on 6 May. Kenny was the first Taoiseach from Fine Gael to win re-election.[9]

Following the introduction of gender quotas, a record 35 seats were filled by women, bringing the proportion of women in the Dáil to 22 percent, up from 15 percent at the previous general election.

Background

The outgoing government was a Fine GaelLabour Party coalition led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton. Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit, Renua Ireland, Social Democrats, Workers and Unemployed Action, and independent non-party TDs formed the opposition in the Dáil. The government was formed on 9 March 2011, the first day of the 31st Dáil elected on 25 February 2011.[10]

Whereas the Constitution gives the President authority to dissolve the Dáil, under electoral law the precise date of polling is specified by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, who was Alan Kelly of Labour.[11] Electoral law required the 31st Dáil to be dissolved by 9 March 2016.[12] Kenny rejected predictions in October 2015 that he would call an election in November to capitalise on rising Fine Gael support.[13] In January 2016, media reported that Fine Gael and Labour respectively favoured Thursday 25 and Friday 26 February 2016 as the election date; Friday would facilitate voting by students registered to vote at their family home.[11][14][15]

After a cabinet meeting on 2 February, Kenny announced that he would be seeking a dissolution the following day. At 09:30 on 3 February he formally told the Dáil this, and that the new Dáil would meet on 10 March; the Dáil was adjourned without statements from the opposition.[16] At 09:58 while Kenny was en route to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet the President, the election date of 26 February was confirmed from his Twitter account. At 10:35 the President issued the proclamation dissolving the Dáil.[17] Later that day, Minister Kelly signed the order setting the polling day.[4] The writs of election are issued by the clerk of the Dáil.[18]

New parties and alliances

A number of parties and political alliances were formed during the lifespan of the 31st Dáil in order to contest the election:

Gender quotas

Part 6 of the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 provides that parties will lose half of their state funding unless at least 30% of their candidates at the election are female and at least 30% are male.[24] All parties except Direct Democracy Ireland fulfilled this condition.[25] This contributed in part to the highest percentage of women elected to the Dáil; at 35 TDs, this was 22% of the 158 TDs, an increase from 15% at the previous general election.[26]

Electoral system

Constituencies for 2016 general election

Ireland uses proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR–STV).[27] The general election took place throughout the state to elect 158 members of Dáil Éireann, a reduction of 8 from the previous 166 members. This follows the passage of the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013. The Ceann Comhairle (speaker of the lower house of parliament) is automatically re-elected unless he opts to retire from the Dáil.[28] The election was held in 40 parliamentary constituencies.[29] Each multi-member constituency elects three, four or five Teachtaí Dála (Dáil deputies, lit. Assembly Deputies).[27]

The closing date for nominations was 11 February 2016. A total of 551 candidates contested the election, slightly down from the 566 that took part in the 2011 general election, a record figure.[4][30][31][32] The number of candidates for each party was: Fine Gael (88), Fianna Fáil (71), Sinn Féin (50), Green Party (40), Labour Party (36), Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit (31, of which 18 People Before Profit Alliance and 13 Anti-Austerity Alliance), Renua Ireland (26), Direct Democracy Ireland (19), Social Democrats (14), Independents 4 Change (5), Workers' Party (5), Catholic Democrats (3), Fís Nua (2), Irish Democratic Party (1), Communist Party of Ireland (1). Among the 159 independent candidates and others running without a party platform were 21 independents affiliated to the Independent Alliance, 19 independents affiliated to Right2Change, and the outgoing TD Séamus Healy, who was nominated as a non-party candidate for this election.[25][32][33] Voting took place between 07:00 and 22:00 (WET).[4]

Islands off the coast of Counties Donegal, Mayo, and Galway voted one day earlier.[34] All resident Irish and British citizens were eligible to be on the Dáil electoral register.[4] The 2016–17 register was published on 1 February by the local authorities, who were responsible for maintaining it. Applications for the supplementary register for the general election closed on 9 February,[4] with 30,185 names added.[35]

Retiring incumbents

The following members of the 31st Dáil announced in advance of the poll that they would not be seeking re-election:

Constituency Departing TD Party
Cork East Sandra McLellan[36] Sinn Féin
Donegal South-West Dinny McGinley[37] Fine Gael
Dublin Mid-West Robert Dowds[38] Labour
Dublin North-East Seán Kenny[39] Labour
Dublin South Olivia Mitchell[40] Fine Gael
Dublin South-Central Michael Conaghan[41] Labour
Dublin South-East Ruairi Quinn[42] Labour
Dublin South-West Pat Rabbitte[43] Labour
Dublin West Joe Higgins[44] Socialist Party
Dún Laoghaire Eamon Gilmore[45] Labour
Galway East Michael P. Kitt[46] Fianna Fáil
Galway West Brian Walsh[47] Fine Gael
Kerry South Tom Fleming[48] Independent
Kildare South Jack Wall[49] Labour
Limerick Dan Neville[50] Fine Gael
Louth Séamus Kirk[51] Fianna Fáil
Roscommon–South Leitrim Frank Feighan[52] Fine Gael
Sligo–North Leitrim Michael Colreavy[53] Sinn Féin
Wexford John Browne[54] Fianna Fáil
Wexford Liam Twomey[55] Fine Gael

Campaign

Election posters in Cork South-Central

The campaign officially began after the dissolution of Dáil Éireann on 3 February 2016 and lasted until polling day on 26 February 2016. During the campaign, official election posters are permitted in locations which would otherwise constitute litter; some candidates were reported to have illegally erected posters too soon.[56][57] The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's moratorium on election coverage lasted from 14:00 on 25 February 2016 until polls had closed.[58][59]

Party manifestos and slogans

Party/groupManifesto (external link)Other slogan(s)
Fine Gael Let's Keep the Recovery Going "Your hard work is working"[60]
Fianna Fáil An Ireland for All
Sinn Féin Better with Sinn Féin
Labour Party Standing Up for Ireland's Future "Standing up for working families"[61][62]
AAA–PBP (combined) Common Principles: Radical Alternatives and Real Equality[lower-alpha 3] "A voice for people power, share the wealth"[63]
(AAA) Real Change not Spare Change[lower-alpha 3]
(PBP) Share the Wealth: An Alternative Vision for Ireland[lower-alpha 3]
Social Democrats Building a Better Future 2016–2026
Green Party Think Ahead, Act Now
Independent Alliance Charter for Government 2016
Renua Rewarding Work Rebuilding Trust
Direct Democracy Ireland Returning the power to you
Workers' Party Take a Step in a New Direction

Television debates

RTÉ set a minimum of three TDs for a party to be invited to its 15 February debate.[64] The Green Party, which had no TDs (having lost them all in 2011), took an unsuccessful High Court case against the exclusion of its leader Eamon Ryan.[64][65] An Irish language debate, moderated by Eimear Ní Chonaola was to be broadcast on TG4 on 17 February, but was cancelled due to the weak proficiency in that language of Adams and Burton. Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) and Pearse Doherty (Sinn Féin) were suggested as fluent replacements, but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael insisted that a leaders' debate should be confined to party leaders only.[66][67] TG4 instead broadcast successive one-to-one interviews with each party's representative.[68] There was also a "live audience discussion" on RTÉ Two on 21 February featuring Timmy Dooley (FF), Mary Lou McDonald (SF), Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour), Averil Power (non-party), Eamon Ryan (Greens), Leo Varadkar (FG), and Adrienne Wallace (AAA-PBP). The discussion was hosted by Keelin Shanley at Facebook's Dublin office and featured questions submitted via Facebook and Twitter.[69] There was some controversy surrounding this debate as a representative of special needs parents said she was to appear to ask a question on waiting lists only to be told by RTÉ later that the topic would not be covered.[70]

2016 Irish general election debates[71][72][73]
DateBroadcasterModerator(s)Participants    Name  Participant    N  Party not invited Notes
AAA–PBP Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Labour Renua Sinn Féin Social Democrats
8 February RTÉ Claire Byrne N McGrath Noonan Howlin N Doherty N Finance spokespersons. 50 minutes.[74]
11 February TV3 Colette Fitzpatrick
Pat Kenny
N Martin Kenny Burton N Adams N Party leaders. 80 minutes.[75]
15 February RTÉ Claire Byrne Boyd Barrett Martin Kenny Burton Creighton Adams Donnelly Party leaders.[lower-alpha 4] 115 minutes.[78]
15 February TV3 Mick Clifford N Cowen Reilly Kelly N McDonald N Deputy leaders.[lower-alpha 5] 60 minutes.[79]
17 February TG4 Eimear Ní Chonaola Cancelled Planned leaders debate in Irish[66]
22 February RTÉ Claire Byrne N Kelleher Varadkar Lynch N Ó Caoláin N Health spokespersons.[lower-alpha 6] 60 minutes.[80]
23 February RTÉ Miriam O'Callaghan N Martin Kenny Burton N Adams N Party leaders. 85 minutes.[81][82]

Opinion polls

Record of Irish political opinion polls published in 2016. Multiple polls published on 16 January, 6 February and 21 February have been averaged.

Results

Polling results for the 2016 Irish general election, compared to the actual result
The party that received the most 1st preference votes (for all their candidates) in each constituency.

Counting of votes began at 09:00 UTC on Saturday 27 February 2016 and continued over the course of the weekend and into the following week, with the final two seats, in Longford–Westmeath, announced after multiple recounts at 05:30 UTC on Thursday 3 March.[83][84]

It was Fine Gael's lowest number of seats since the 2002 general election, the election that led to Kenny becoming leader (the outgoing finance minister in 2016, Michael Noonan, had been Fine Gael's leader in 2002.) They performed especially poorly outside Dublin, dropping from 59 seats to 36; in Dublin the party fared better, going from 17 to 14 for a net loss of only three. Indeed, Fine Gael became the largest party in the capital for the first time since November 1982, and won seats in every constituency in Dublin for the first time since 1987. Fianna Fáil more than doubled the number of seats that they had coming into the election. Having been without representation in Dublin since the death of Brian Lenihan in 2011, Fianna Fáil managed to win six seats in the capital this time. Sinn Féin recorded their strongest showing under Adams to become the third party, making gains in Leinster and in urban areas of Munster, mostly at the expense of the Labour Party. Labour won their lowest vote share since 1987, and their lowest share of seats ever. Despite speculation that she would lose her seat, Joan Burton became the first sitting Tánaiste to avoid defeat at a general election since Mary Harney in 2002.[85] Labour's vote collapse meant that not until the Longford–Westmeath result did they reach the seven-seat threshold to qualify as a parliamentary group with full speaking rights under current Dáil rules.[83]

The combined vote of 49.8 per cent for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil was a record low for the two largest parties in the Dáil, eclipsing the previous record of 53.6 per cent set by Cumann na nGaedheal and Fianna Fáil in June 1927. It was the first time the vote for Ireland's two traditionally dominant parties had fallen below 50 per cent in a general election. Fine Gael became the largest party in the Dáil with just 25.5 per cent of the vote, the lowest percentage ever for a first party.

Party Fine Gael Fianna Fáil Sinn Féin Labour AAA–PBP I4C Social Democrats Green
Leader Enda Kenny Micheál Martin Gerry Adams Joan Burton None None Stephen Donnelly
Catherine Murphy
Róisín Shortall
Eamon Ryan
Votes, 1st pref. 25.5%
544,230
24.3%
519,353
13.8%
295,313
6.6%
140,893
3.9%
84,168
1.5%
31,365
3.0%
64,094
2.7%
57,997
Seats 50[lower-alpha 1] (31.5%) 44 (28%) 23 (14.5%) 7 (4.5%) 6 (4%) 4 (2.5%) 3 (2%) 2 (1%)
50[lower-alpha 1] 44 23 19[n 2] 7 6 4 3 2
Fine Gael Fianna Fáil Sinn Féin Inds Lab AAA PBP

First preference vote share of different parties in the election.

  Fine Gael (25.5%)
  Fianna Fáil (24.3%)
  Sinn Féin (13.8%)
  Labour Party (6.6%)
  AAA–PBP (3.9%)
  Social Democrats (3.0%)
  Green Party (2.7%)
  Renua (2.2%)
  Other (16.5%)
Election to the 32nd Dáil – 26 February 2016[86][87][88]
Party Leader First Preference Votes Seats
Votes  % FPv Swing% Candidates
[89]
Elected
2011[89]
Outgoing
[n 3]
Elected
2016[90]
Change
[n 4]
 % of
seats
Fine Gael Enda Kenny 544,230 25.5 Decrease10.6 88 76 66
50 / 158(32%)
Decrease27 31.6
Fianna Fáil Micheál Martin 519,353 24.3 Increase6.9 71 20 21
44 / 158(28%)
Increase25 27.8
Sinn Féin Gerry Adams 295,313 13.8 Increase3.9 50 14 14
23 / 158(15%)
Increase9 14.6
Labour Joan Burton 140,893 6.6 Decrease12.8 36 37 33
7 / 158(4%)
Decrease30 4.4
AAA–PBP

People Before Profit Alliance
Anti-Austerity Alliance

None 84,168

42,174
41,994
3.9

2.0
1.9
Increase1.7[n 1]

Increase 1.0
new
31

18
13
4[n 1]

2
new
4
6 / 158(4%)
3 / 158 (2%)
3 / 158 (2%)
Increase2

Increase 1
new
3.8

1.9
1.9
Social Democrats Catherine Murphy
Róisín Shortall
Stephen Donnelly
64,094 3.0 Increase3.0[n 5] 14 N/A[n 6] 3
3 / 158(2%)
Increase3 1.9
Green Eamon Ryan 57,997 2.7 Increase0.9 40 0 0
2 / 158(1%)
Increase2 1.3
Renua Lucinda Creighton 46,552 2.2 Increase2.2[n 5] 26 N/A[n 6] 3 0 0 0
Inds. 4 Change[n 7] None 31,365 1.5 Increase1.5[n 5] 5 N/A[n 6] 4
4 / 158(3%)
Increase4 2.5
Direct Democracy Pat Greene 6,481 0.3 Increase0.3[n 5] 19 N/A[n 6] 0 0 0 0
Workers' Party Michael Donnelly 3,242 0.2 Increase<0.05[n 8] 5 0 0 0 0 0
Catholic Democrats Nora Bennis 2,013 0.1 Increase0.1[n 9] 3 0 0 0 0 0
Fís Nua None 1,224 0.1 Increase<0.05[n 10] 2 0 0 0 0 0
Irish Democratic Ken Smollen 971 <0.05 Increase<0.05[n 5] 1 N/A[n 6] 0 0 0 0
Communist Eugene McCartan 185 <0.05 Increase<0.05[n 11] 1 0 0 0 0 0
Identity Ireland Peter O'Loughlin 183 <0.05 Increase<0.05[n 5] 1 N/A[n 6] 0 0 0 0
Independent Alliance[n 7] None 88,930[n 7] 4.2[n 7] Increase4.2[n 7][n 5] 21[n 7] N/A[n 6] 5[n 7]
6 / 158(4%)
Increase6[n 7] 3.8[n 7]
Independent[n 7] 249,285[n 7] 11.7[n 7] Increase1.3[n 7] 136[n 7] 14 10[n 7]
13 / 158(8%)
Decrease1[n 7] 8.2[n 7]
Spoilt votes 18,398
Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett N/A N/A N/A 1 0 0.6
Total 2,151,293 100% 552[89][n 12] 166[n 13] 165[n 14] 158 Decrease8 100%
Total Electorate/Turnout: 3,305,110 (65.1%)
  1. Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit (AAA–PBP) was formed in 2015 by the AAA and PBP, and the AAA was formed in 2012 by the Socialist Party. The 2011 seats and votes figures used for comparison are the combined votes and seats of Socialist Party and PBP candidates.
  2. The 19 seats for independents includes 6 seats for politicians participating in the Independent Alliance, which is not a political party, and 13 seats for other independents, but not the 4 seats for Independents 4 Change, which is a registered political party.
  3. TDs in the party at the 2016 dissolution of the 31st Dáil
  4. Change in number of seats from the 2011 election to the 2016 election
  5. This is a new party or group, created after the 2011 general election, so all its votes are counted as a gain.
  6. Party was founded after the 2011 election
  7. Data for 2016 under "Independents" excludes both Independents 4 Change, which is a registered party, and the Independent Alliance and Identity Ireland, which are not. Most members of all these groups were classified as "Independents" in 2011.
  8. The Workers' Party got 3,056 votes in 2011 (out of a total vote of 2,220,359).
  9. Although not a new party (though a party with a new name since 2012), the Catholic Democrats fielded no candidates in 2011, so all their votes are counted as a gain. A different party, the Christian Solidarity Party, which was removed from the official register of political parties in 2014, got 2,102 votes in 2011 (out of a total vote of 2,220,359).
  10. Fís Nua got 938 votes in 2011 (out of a total vote of 2,220,359).
  11. Although not a new party, the Communist Party of Ireland fielded no candidates in 2011, so all its votes are counted as a gain.
  12. Figure of 551 excluding the Ceann Comhairle who is returned automatically.[30]
  13. This total includes Séamus Healy, who was elected for Workers and Unemployed Action in 2011, but re-elected as an Independent in 2016.
  14. One seat was vacant at the dissolution, after the resignation of Brian Walsh for health reasons.

Voting summary

First preference vote
Fine Gael
25.47%
Fianna Fáil
24.31%
Sinn Féin
13.82%
Labour
6.60%
AAA–PBP
3.94%
Social Democrats
3.00%
Green
2.71%
Renua Ireland
2.18%
Independents 4 Change
1.47%
Others
0.66%
Independent Alliance
4.16%
Independent
11.67%

Seats summary

Dáil seats
Fine Gael
31.65%
Fianna Fáil
27.85%
Sinn Féin
14.56%
Labour
4.43%
AAA–PBP
3.80%
Independents 4 Change
2.53%
Social Democrats
1.90%
Green
1.27%
Independent Alliance
3.80%
Independent
8.23%

TDs who lost their seats

Party Seats lost Name Constituency Other offices held Year elected
Fine Gael
21
James Bannon[91] Longford–Westmeath 2007
Tom Barry[92] Cork East 2011
Ray Butler Meath West 2011
Jerry Buttimer[93] Cork South-Central 2011
Paudie Coffey[94] Waterford Minister of State for Housing, Planning
and Co-ordination of the Construction 2020 Strategy
2011
Áine Collins[95] Cork North-West 2011
Paul Connaughton Jnr[96] Galway East 2011
Noel Coonan[97] Tipperary 2007
Jimmy Deenihan[98] Kerry Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs 1987
Noel Harrington[99] Cork South-West 2011
Tom Hayes[100] Tipperary 2001
Derek Keating Dublin Mid-West 2011
Anthony Lawlor Kildare North 2011
Gabrielle McFadden Longford–Westmeath 2014
Michelle Mulherin Mayo 2011
Kieran O'Donnell[101] Limerick City 2007
John O'Mahony Galway West 2007
Joe O'Reilly Cavan–Monaghan 2011
John Perry[102] Sligo–Leitrim 1997
James Reilly[103] Dublin Fingal Minister for Children and Youth Affairs 2007
Alan Shatter[104] Dublin South 1981[lower-alpha 7]
Labour
19
Eric Byrne[105] Dublin South-Central 1989[lower-alpha 8]
Ciara Conway Waterford 2011
Joe Costello[106] Dublin Central 1992[lower-alpha 9]
Anne Ferris[107] Wicklow 2011
Dominic Hannigan[108] Meath East 2011
Kevin Humphreys[109] Dublin Bay South Minister of State for
Employment, Community and Social Support
2011
Ciarán Lynch[110] Cork South-Central 2007
Kathleen Lynch[111] Cork North-Central Minister of State for
Primary Care, Mental Health and Disability
1994[lower-alpha 10]
John Lyons[112] Dublin North-West 2011
Michael McCarthy[99] Cork South-West 2011
Michael McNamara[113] Clare 2011
Ged Nash[114] Louth Minister of State for
Business and Employment
2011
Derek Nolan[115] Galway West 2011
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin[116] Dublin Bay North Minister of State for
New Communities, Culture and Equality
2011
Ann Phelan Carlow–Kilkenny 2011
Arthur Spring[117] Kerry 2011
Emmet Stagg[118] Kildare North 1987
Joanna Tuffy[119] Dublin Mid-West 2007
Alex White[120] Dublin Rathdown Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources 2011
Renua
3
Lucinda Creighton[121][122] Dublin Bay South 2007[lower-alpha 11]
Terence Flanagan Dublin Bay North 2007[lower-alpha 12]
Billy Timmins Wicklow 1997[lower-alpha 13]
Fianna Fáil
1
Colm Keaveney[123] Galway East 2011
Sinn Féin
1
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn[124][125] Donegal 2011
Independent
3
Seán Conlan Cavan–Monaghan 2011[lower-alpha 14]
Eamonn Maloney Dublin South-West 2011[lower-alpha 15]
Peter Mathews Dublin Rathdown 2011[lower-alpha 16]
Total 48
  1. Including Seán Barrett (FG), returned automatically for Dún Laoghaire as outgoing Ceann Comhairle, under Art. 16.6 of the Constitution and the Electoral Act 1992.[1][2]
  2. Gerry Adams became President of Sinn Féin on 13 November 1983, but only became parliamentary leader of Sinn Féin in the Dáil once elected to the Dáil for the first time in February 2011. Prior to that its parliamentary leader in the Dáil since 1997 was Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.
  3. AAA–PBP issued a joint "statement of common principles"; each of its two components issued a separate manifesto
  4. The Social Democrats were represented by one of their three TDs, who are interim co-leaders.[76] The AAA–PBP have no leader and nominated Richard Boyd Barrett of PBP, one of their four TDs.[77]
  5. Fianna Fáil have had no deputy leader since Éamon Ó Cuív resigned the post in 2012. The party nominated Barry Cowen for the deputy leaders' debate.
  6. Non-party candidate Denis Naughten was also included as a participant.
  7. Shatter lost his seat in 2002 but regained it in 2007.
  8. Byrne lost his seat in 1992 but regained it in 1994, lost it again in 1997 but regained it in 2011.
  9. Costello lost his seat in 1997 but regained it in 2002.
  10. Lynch lost her seat in 1997 but regained it in 2002.
  11. Creighton was elected as Fine Gael.
  12. Flanagan was elected as Fine Gael.
  13. Timmins was elected as Fine Gael.
  14. Conlan was elected as Fine Gael.
  15. Maloney was elected as Labour.
  16. Mathews was elected as Fine Gael.

Government formation

Enda Kenny immediately conceded that the outgoing coalition government of Fine Gael and Labour would be unable to continue. Fine Gael was 29 seats short of a majority, leading to speculation of a possibility of a grand coalition between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, of a minority government, or of another general election later in 2016.[126] Talks to form a government got underway in March.

On 29 April, after 63 days of negotiation and three failed votes for Taoiseach, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil reached an agreement about a Fine Gael minority government.[9] In the days following, Fine Gael negotiated a deal with Independent TDs on the formation of a minority coalition. Enda Kenny was re-elected Taoiseach on 6 May 2016.

Notes, citations and sources

Footnotes

    References

    1. Electoral Act 1980, s. 36: Re-election of outgoing Chairman of Dáil (No. 23 of 1980, s. 36). Enacted on 23 December 1980. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
    2. "Dún Laoghaire: 2016 general election". Irish Elections. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
    3. "President Higgins dissolves 31st Dáil". Irish Times. 3 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
    4. "Minister Kelly signs Polling Day Order" (Press release). Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. 3 February 2016. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
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