The first leaders’ debate of Ireland’s current election campaign featured no fewer than ten party leaders. While this format was perhaps a questionable editorial choice, it was also simply a reflection of the now very diffuse – and quite messy – character of Ireland’s political system.
After the last general election in 2020, the 160 seats in Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Irish parliament) were divided across eight different parties and no fewer than 19 independents. No single party won more than a quarter of the seats.
Calling this a “hung parliament” would probably be an understatement. It took almost four and a half months after the election for a governing coalition to be formed. Since 2020, the number of parties with representation in the Dáil has increased to ten.
