Ireland votes in close-run election dominated by housing crisis

Ireland is going to the polls in a tight election race that has two centre-right coalition parties running neck and neck with the former political wing of a republican parliamentary force.

Irish voters began casting their ballots on Friday as polling showed outgoing coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and the leftist-nationalist opposition Sinn Fein all hovering around 20 percent support.

Sinn Fein had topped opinion polls throughout 2022 and 2023 with approval ratings above 30 percent before support began to fray amid rising disconnect with the party’s liberal stance on immigration.

Cost of living issues dominated the campaign amid a severe housing shortage that has pushed rents and property prices to record highs.

While Ireland has some of the healthiest public finances in Europe thanks to a record corporate tax haul from US multinationals, there is widespread public frustration over the government’s management of public services, including the failure to build enough new houses during the country’s “Celtic Tiger” boom years.

Ballot counting is due to begin in Ireland’s 43 multiseat constituencies on Saturday morning.