Ireland votes in close-run election dominated by housing crisis

Polls show centre-right incumbents Fine Gael and Fianna Fail running neck and neck with leftist-nationalist Sinn Fein.

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.

The polling results, if repeated on election day, would likely return Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to power after the historical rivals formed a coalition for the first time after an inconclusive election in 2020.

The centre-right parties, which share broadly similar policies on the economy and social issues, made the historic pact after refusing to go into government with Sinn Fein, the winner of the popular vote, due to its past links to the Irish Republican Army.

Simon Harris, Fine Gael’s leader and prime minister – known as Taoiseach in the Irish language – called the election on November 8 after announcing 10.5 billion euros ($11.1bn) in tax cuts and spending increases on the back of a large budget surplus.

While Fine Gael led polls throughout the campaign, the party’s standing slipped after a testy encounter between Harris, 38, and an angry care worker went viral on social media.

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.

The final result may not be known for days as Ireland’s system of proportional representation features numerous rounds of counting.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies