Irish general election, 2011
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The 2011 Irish general election took place on Friday 25 February to elect 166 Teachtaí Dála across 43 constituencies to
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...
, the
lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of Ireland's parliament, the
Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...
. The Dáil was dissolved and the
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
called by President Mary McAleese on 1 February, at the request of Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The
31st Dáil 31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number. In mathematics 31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits ...
met on 9 March 2011 to nominate a Taoiseach and ratify the new ministers of the
29th Government of Ireland 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
. Cowen had previously announced on 20 January that the election would be held on 11 March, and that after the 2011 budget had been passed he would seek a dissolution of the
30th Dáil 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
by the President. However, the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
, the junior party in
coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
with Cowen's Fianna Fáil, withdrew from government on 23 January, stating that it would support only a truncated finance bill from the opposition benches, in order to force an earlier election. On 24 January, Finance Minister
Brian Lenihan Jnr Brian Joseph Lenihan (21 May 1959 – 10 June 2011) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from March 2011 to June 2011, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law ...
reached an agreement with the opposition in Dáil Éireann to complete all stages of passing the finance bill in both houses of the Oireachtas by 29 January—following which the Dáil was to be dissolved immediately. Constitutionally, following a Dáil dissolution, an election must be held within 30 days. Following the collapse of the coalition, the then minority governing party, Fianna Fáil, sought to minimise its losses following historically low poll ratings in the wake of the Irish financial crisis. Fine Gael sought to gain a dominant position in Irish politics after poor results in the 2000s, and to replace Fianna Fáil for the first time as the largest party in Dáil Éireann. The Labour Party hoped to make gains from both sides, and was widely expected to become the second-largest party and to enter into coalition government with Fine Gael; its highest ambition at the start of the campaign, buoyed by record poll ratings in preceding months, was to become the leading partner in government for the first time in the party's 99-year history. The Green Party, having been in coalition with Fianna Fáil during the
Government of the 30th Dáil There were two Governments of the 30th Dáil, which was elected at the 2007 general election on 24 May 2007. The 27th Government of Ireland (14 June 2007 – 7 May 2008) was led by Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, and the 28th Government of Ireland (7 ...
, faced stiff competition for its votes and was expected to lose at least four of its six seats. Sinn Féin was expected to make gains, encouraged by a by-election victory in November 2010 and by opinion polls which placed it ahead of Fianna Fáil. Some other left-wing groups, including
People Before Profit People Before Profit ( ga, Pobal Roimh Bhrabús, PBP) is a left-wing to far-left Trotskyist political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. History PBP was established in 2005 as the ...
,
Workers and Unemployed Action Workers and Unemployed Action (WUA; ) is an Irish political party based in Clonmel in South County Tipperary, set up in 1985 by Séamus Healy. WUA had one Teachta Dála (TD) until 2020 and has endorsed and seen a number of its members elected t ...
and the Socialist Party, contested the general election under a joint banner, the United Left Alliance. Fianna Fáil was swept from power in the worst defeat of a sitting government since the formation of the Irish state in 1922. The party lost more than half of its first-preference vote from 2007, and garnered only 20 seats. It was the third-largest party in the 31st Dáil; this was the first election since that of
September 1927 The following events occurred in September 1927: Thursday, September 1, 1927 *National Air Transport, a predecessor of United Airlines, began the first air express delivery service, flying from Chicago to New York with "newsreels, machinery ...
out of which it did not emerge the largest party in the chamber. '' The Irish Times'', Ireland's
newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...
, described Fianna Fáil's meltdown as "defeat on a historic scale." Fine Gael won 76 seats, becoming the largest party in the Dáil for the first time in its 78-year history, while the Labour Party became the second-largest party, with 37 seats; Sinn Féin also increased its number of seats. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny became Taoiseach, in a coalition with Labour.


Background

Following the bailout of Irish banks and the deteriorating level of state debt that led to the Irish financial crisis, the Irish government agreed to a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund amid fears of a wider Eurozone crisis. The European Financial Stability Facility then offered the government a multibillion-euro deal for its new debt burden. The notion of such a move was widely condemned in Ireland, with '' The Irish Times'' criticising Fianna Fáil that despite its "primary aims othe commitment 'to maintain the status of Ireland as a sovereign State'... The Republican Party's ideals are in tatters now." Following the acceptance of the deal on 21 November 2010, the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
leader John Gormley called for the Taoiseach to fix a date for a general election in the second half of January 2011; however, he added that the party would support the coalition for the "coming weeks and months". The Labour Party and Fine Gael called for an immediate election in order to seek "political certainty." On 22 November 2010, Taoiseach Brian Cowen indicated that the election would take place in early 2011 after the 2011 budgetary process (a prerequisite to the bailout) had been completed. There were fears that calling the election could trigger another credit downgrade. On 16 January Cowen announced his decision to stay on as Taoiseach and to lead Fianna Fáil into the general election. On 18 January he called for and won a vote of confidence within the party (which had been precipitated by revelations of two previously undisclosed meetings with Anglo Irish Bank chairman Seán FitzPatrick) with a majority of the 71 Fianna Fáil deputies supporting him. Despite saying he would offer Cowen "full support", Foreign Minister Micheál Martin resigned. However, following criticism within his party after his failed attempt to carry out a reshuffle of Fianna Fáil ministers, Cowen announced his resignation as leader of the party on 22 January. He confirmed he would remain as Taoiseach until after the election. The key dates were:


Electoral system

Ireland uses proportional representation with a single transferable vote, also known as PR–STV. The general election took place in 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the state for 165 of the 166 seats in the Dáil, with the final seat taken by the outgoing
Ceann Comhairle The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session a ...
(chairman), returned automatically. Each multi-member constituency returns three, four or five Teachtaí Dála (Dáil deputies). The closing date for nominations was 9 February 2011. A total of 566 candidates contested the election, nearly 100 more than the 2007 general election. The number of candidates per party was: Fine Gael (104), Fianna Fáil (75), Labour Party (68),
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
(43), Sinn Féin (41), and Independents and smaller parties (233). The latter figure includes 20 candidates affiliated to the United Left Alliance, 20 independents who ran under the
New Vision The ''New Vision'' is a Ugandan English-language newspaper published daily in print form and online. Overview ''New Vision'' is one of two main national English-language newspapers in Uganda, the other being the ''Daily Monitor''. It is publi ...
label, eight Christian Solidarity Party candidates, six Workers' Party and five
Fís Nua Fís Nua (; English: "New Vision") is a minor environmentalist political party in Ireland. History The party was formed in June 2010, mainly by former members of the Green Party who were unhappy with that party's participation in the then coal ...
candidates. Voting took place between 07:00 and 22:00 ( WET).


Date

Section 7 of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1927 requires that the Dáil be dissolved within five years after its first meeting following the previous election (14 June 2007). Article 16.3.2 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that a general election for members of Dáil Éireann must take place not later than thirty days after the dissolution. The next general election had to, therefore, take place no later than 14 July 2012. The current statutory framework for the setting of a date for polling day in the general election was set out in the Electoral Act 1992, as amended. Section 96 of the Electoral Act 1992 requires that the poll is held, not earlier than the seventeenth day or later than the twenty-fifth day, following the day on which the Dáil is formally dissolved by the President. The writs for the election are issued by the Clerk of the Dáil on the day the Dáil is dissolved. Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport
Mary Hanafin Mary Hanafin (born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport from 2010 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Inn ...
said the general election was likely to take place in mid-March 2011.
Batt O'Keeffe Bartholomew O'Keeffe (born 2 April 1945) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation from 2010 to 2011, Minister for Education and Science from 2008 to 2010 and a Minister of State from ...
, the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, hinted that the election might take place on 25 March. On 19 January the Green Party indicated that they expected the budgetary process to be completed by the end of February, and that the election should be held no later than the end of March. Brian Cowen attempted a reshuffle of his party's ministers on 20 January 2011. However, following the resignation of six cabinet ministers, it became clear that the Green Party would not allow him to fill the vacancies. He subsequently announced that the election for the 31st Dáil would take place on 11 March. Motions of no confidence in the outgoing government were tabled by Fine Gael for 25 January and by the Labour Party for 26 January; both parties said they would be willing to give the government time to expedite the Finance Act in return for bringing forward the election date. Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said it could be moved by "a week or two at most". Cowen resigned as Fianna Fáil leader on 22 January, and the Green Party withdrew from government the next day, but promised to support the Finance Act. On 28 January it was announced that Cowen intended to ask McAleese to dissolve the Dáil on 1 February. Cowen formally asked for a Dáil dissolution on 1 February, after the finance bill cleared parliament. In accordance with Irish constitutional practice (no Irish president has ever refused such a request), McAleese granted the dissolution. As usual, certain offshore islands voted earlier than the rest of the country. Voters on Arranmore, Clare Island, Gola, Inishbiggle, Inishbofin (
Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
), Inishfree,
Inishturk Inishturk (''Inis Toirc'' in Irish, meaning ''Wild Boar Island'') is an inhabited island of County Mayo, in Ireland. Geography The island lies about off the coast; its highest point reaches above sea level. Between Inisturk and Clare Islan ...
and Tory Island headed to the polls on 23 February; voters on the Aran Islands and Inishbofin ( Galway) cast their ballots on 24 February.


Constituency changes

The number of TDs elected and the number of constituencies contested remained the same as for the previous general election, though there were substantial boundary changes. * Limerick East (5) replaced by Limerick City (4) *
Limerick West Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 c ...
(3) replaced by Limerick (3) * Kerry North (3) replaced by Kerry North–West Limerick (3) *
Dublin West Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cens ...
(from 3 to 4) * Dún Laoghaire (from 5 to 4) *
Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town *Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * County ...
(from 4 to 5) :Number of seats given in brackets after constituency name. Boundary changes were also made in twenty other constituencies.


Retiring incumbents

The following 39 members of the 30th Dáil did not contest the 2011 general election. Vacant seat, deputy had resigned before the dissolution of Dáil Éireann. In four constituencies (Cavan–Monaghan, Cork North-West, Dublin North-West, and Dublin South-Central) Fianna Fáil nominated fewer candidates than it had outgoing TDs, effectively conceding a seat in each.


Campaign

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams (an MP and MLA for Belfast West) announced on 15 November 2010 that he would resign both these seats and contest the
Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town *Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * County ...
constituency at the following Irish general election, in an attempt to retain the seat being vacated by the retirement of
Arthur Morgan Arthur Morgan may refer to: * Arthur Morgan (Australian politician, born 1856) (1856–1916), Premier of Queensland, Australia * Arthur Ernest Morgan (1878–1975), American administrator, educator and engineer * Arthur Morgan (Australian politici ...
. A number of election candidates were given formal warnings not to place election posters until the date had been announced. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin stated that the party would not rule out supporting a minority Fine Gael government if its policies were in line with Fianna Fáil's programme for economic recovery. On 31 January 2011 Martin named
Mary Hanafin Mary Hanafin (born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport from 2010 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Inn ...
as the new deputy leader, while the government chief whip John Curran was named as justice spokesman. Barry Andrews was appointed as health spokesman,
Billy Kelleher Billy Kelleher (born 20 January 1968) is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the South constituency since July 2019. He is a member of Fianna Fáil, part of Renew Europe. He previously serv ...
transport, Peter Power foreign affairs and trade, and
Niall Collins Niall Collins (born 30 March 1973) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister of State for Skills and Further Education since July 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick County constituency since 2016, and ...
defence. He also appointed Willie O'Dea, a former Minister of Defence who had resigned in February 2010 after committing perjury in front of the High Court, as communications spokesperson. Brian Lenihan would continue as the finance spokesman in addition to being Finance Minister. In early February, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet told political parties to go ahead with the terms of the EU-IMF financial bailout plan. This came despite Fine Gael and Labour saying they would like to see a renegotiation of some of the key elements of the deal. Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore asked voters to choose between "
Frankfurt's Way or Labour's Way "Frankfurt's Way or Labour's Way" (sometimes repeated as "Labour's Way or Frankfurt's Way") was a campaign slogan used by the then Irish Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore in advance of the country's 2011 general election. The phrase has become an ...
". Micheál Martin was involved in an alleged racist gaffe, mocking a
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
accent while speaking on his party's innovation proposals at the Dublin Web Summit. During the campaign, there were numerous reports of infighting between Fianna Fáil candidates Peter Power and Willie O'Dea in Limerick City,
Cyprian Brady Cyprian Brady (born 26 June 1962) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency from 2007 to 2011. Brady is a former civil servant who for 20 years, ran the constituency office of th ...
and
Mary Fitzpatrick Mary Fitzpatrick (born 20 February 1969) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as a Senator since June 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. Early life Fitzpatrick is from the Navan Road in Dublin and was educated at Our L ...
in
Dublin Central Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...
, and
Mary Hanafin Mary Hanafin (born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport from 2010 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Inn ...
and Barry Andrews in Dún Laoghaire.


New parties and groupings

A number of parties and political alliances were set up in order to contest the election. The United Left Alliance was set up on 25 November 2010, announcing it would field twenty candidates in the election. The group consisted of
People Before Profit People Before Profit ( ga, Pobal Roimh Bhrabús, PBP) is a left-wing to far-left Trotskyist political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. History PBP was established in 2005 as the ...
, the Socialist Party and the Tipperary South-based
Workers and Unemployed Action Workers and Unemployed Action (WUA; ) is an Irish political party based in Clonmel in South County Tipperary, set up in 1985 by Séamus Healy. WUA had one Teachta Dála (TD) until 2020 and has endorsed and seen a number of its members elected t ...
. However, the group failed to get its name mentioned on the ballot. A number of public figures, including journalists Fintan O'Toole, David McWilliams and Eamon Dunphy, discussed standing as members of a loose alliance dubbed "Democracy Now" to reform the political system and replace the IMF bailout agreement with a structured debt default. O'Toole wrote on 29 January that, once the election date was brought forward from late March, "the risk of going off half-cocked seemed to outweigh the hope of making a difference", and the plan was abandoned. The '' Evening Herald'' reported that "almost half of the 20 figures approached by Democracy Now in ate Januarywere unable to commit to the campaign".
Finian McGrath Finian McGrath (born 9 April 1953) is an Irish former Independent politician who served as Minister of State for Disability Issues from 2016 to 2020. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 2002 to 2020. Early and personal life Born in Tuam, C ...
, Catherine Murphy, and Shane Ross, who stood as independents, were also involved in the proposal. The newly registered party
Fís Nua Fís Nua (; English: "New Vision") is a minor environmentalist political party in Ireland. History The party was formed in June 2010, mainly by former members of the Green Party who were unhappy with that party's participation in the then coal ...
announced on 5 February that it was running six candidates in the election, three of whom were former Green Party members.


Television debates

Micheál Martin proposed that a series of debates between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party should take place on
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
,
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso *Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala *Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by EPTV ...
and a debate in Irish on
TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known a ...
. This proposal was accepted by the Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore. On 27 January, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny proposed a five-way debate which was also to include Sinn Féin and the Green Party. Kenny refused to take part in any debate that would involve TV3 news broadcaster
Vincent Browne Vincent Browne (born 17 July 1944) is an Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with ''The Irish Times'' and ''The Sunday Business Post'' and a non-practising barrister. From 1996 until 2007, he presented a nightly talk-show ...
. In September 2010, Browne had made a comment on his show that Kenny "should go into a dark room with a gun and bottle of whiskey". Browne has since apologised for the remark, and said he would step aside as moderator of the TV3 three-way leaders' debate if Kenny agreed to take part. Responding to TV3's offer to replace Browne as moderator, Kenny stated that a clash in his schedule meant he was unable to take part in the debate. In negotiations, TV3 proposed following the British model, in which the moderator does not ask follow-up questions and does not criticise or comment on the leaders' answers. However, the right of journalist Vincent Browne to "seek factual clarification where necessary" was reserved. It was agreed Browne would sit between Micheál Martin and Eamon Gilmore, and their positions either to the right or left of him were determined by the drawing of lots. Although both Martin and Gilmore had requested that an empty chair be left to represent the absence of Kenny, this was ruled out by TV3. A second debate lasting an hour took place on RTÉ on 14 February. The debate was hosted by Pat Kenny and involved leaders of the five main parties; Micheál Martin, Enda Kenny, Eamon Gilmore, John Gormley and Gerry Adams. The studio audience consisted of 140 undecided voters, six of whom asked pre-set questions. Leaders were given 45 seconds to respond to the question with efforts made to confine contributions to 45 seconds during the "free debate". The third debate took place on
TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known a ...
in Irish, the first debate to take place in the
Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
. The fourth and final debate took place on RTÉ on 22 February. The final debate was watched by an average television audience of 800,000 people.


Directors of Elections

The following people were appointed by their parties to act as their director of elections: *Fianna Fáil –
Tony Killeen Tony Killeen (born 9 June 1952) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served Minister for Defence from 2010 to 2011, Minister of State for Fisheries and Forestry from 2008 to 2010, Minister of State at the Department of the Environmen ...
*Fine Gael – Phil Hogan *Labour Party –
Ruairi Quinn Ruairi Quinn (born 2 April 1946) is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Education and Skills from 2011 to 2014, Leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1989 to 1997, ...
*Green Party – Donal Geoghegan *Sinn Féin – Brian Tumilty


Opinion polls

The parties maintained their results from the 2007 general election for about eighteen months afterwards, with little change in polling figures. Fianna Fáil enjoyed a small bounce in May 2008 after the election of Brian Cowen to succeed Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach. Fine Gael took the lead in opinion polls after the October 2008 budget, which included tax increases and spending cuts to address the growing financial crisis. A second emergency budget in April 2009 continued the downward trend in the popularity of the government parties, with Labour now capturing the gains from disaffected Fianna Fáil supporters. Two polls in the first half of 2009 showed Fianna Fáil coming third, behind both Fine Gael and Labour. Most polls between the 2009 local elections and the summer of 2010 showed Fine Gael far ahead in first place, around the mid-30s, with Fianna Fáil in the mid-20s and Labour in the low 20s. An ''Irish Times'' poll on 11 June 2010 gave Labour an unprecedented 32%, ahead of Fine Gael on 28% and Fianna Fáil on 17%. This surprise result was followed by the unsuccessful leadership challenge by Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton against Enda Kenny; a period of instability followed, during which Labour challenged Fine Gael for first place in the polls. As the economic crisis continued to worsen in late 2010, Fianna Fáil fell below 20% support, and did not recover from this in any opinion polls taken before the election. In November 2010, the EU/IMF rescue, followed by an historic defeat at the Donegal South-West by-election, marked a new period in opinion polling. Fianna Fáil and the Green Party fell to unprecedented lows, with improvements for Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and independent candidates, and a decline in Labour's position. Fine Gael took a strong lead in polling, with Labour safely in second place, while Fianna Fáil struggled to maintain third place, just ahead of Sinn Féin and independents, all polling in the low teens. As the election campaign began in February, Fine Gael enjoyed a surge at the expense of the other parties. Results in the high 30s suggested that Fine Gael could form a government on its own, rather than with its traditional coalition partners in the Labour Party. However, the exit poll taken on election night, and the subsequent results on the following days, showed an eleventh-hour fall in Fine Gael support to the mid-30s, the benefits of which seemed to accrue to Fianna Fáil and Independents. Polling for parliamentary represented parties is as such:


Results

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" colspan="13", 31st Irish general election – 25 February 2011 , - ! style="background-color:white;" colspan=13, , - style="text-align:left;" ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Party
! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" , Leader
! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" , First
Pref votes
! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" , % FPv
! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" ,
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%
! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" , TDs
! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" , Change
(since 2007) ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; text-align:center;" , % of
seats
, - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 801,628 , 36.1 , 8.8 , 76 , 25 , 45.8 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 431,796 , 19.5 , 9.3 , 37 , 17 , 22.3 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 387,358 , 17.5 , 24.2 , 20 , 57 , 12.0 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 220,661 , 9.9 , 3.0 , 14 , 10 , 8.4 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , ''None'' , 26,770 , 1.2 , 0.6 , 2 , 2 , 1.2 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , ''None'' , 21,551 , 1.0 , 0.6 , 2 , 2 , 1.2 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 8,818 , 0.4 , 0.1 , 1 , 1 , 0.6 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 41,039 , 1.8 , 2.9 , 0 , 6 , 0 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 4,939 , 0.2 , 0.2 , 0 , , 0 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 3,056 , 0.1 , 0 , 0 , , 0 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , , 2,102 , 0.1 , 0 , 0 , , 0 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , ''None'' , 938 , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , - , , style="text-align:left;" , — , 269,703 , 12.1 , 6.9 , 14 , 9 , 8.4 , - class="unsortable" ! colspan=3 style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , Total ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , 2,220,359 ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , 100 ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , 166 ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , Turnout ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , 70.0% The United Left Alliance (ULA) won 59,423 votes (2.7%) and five seats. The ULA comprised the Socialist Party, the
People Before Profit Alliance People Before Profit ( ga, Pobal Roimh Bhrabús, PBP) is a left-wing to far-left Trotskyist political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. History PBP was established in 2005 as th ...
, the
Workers and Unemployed Action Workers and Unemployed Action (WUA; ) is an Irish political party based in Clonmel in South County Tipperary, set up in 1985 by Séamus Healy. WUA had one Teachta Dála (TD) until 2020 and has endorsed and seen a number of its members elected t ...
and independent candidate Declan Bree (2,284 votes). Independents include
New Vision The ''New Vision'' is a Ugandan English-language newspaper published daily in print form and online. Overview ''New Vision'' is one of two main national English-language newspapers in Uganda, the other being the ''Daily Monitor''. It is publi ...
candidates (25,422 votes) and People's Convention candidates (1,512 votes). *Fine Gael and Labour Party majority coalition government formed.


Voting summary


Seats summary


Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in the history of the Irish state, and amongst the worst ever suffered by any Western European governing party. The party's first-preference vote plunged to 17.5 per cent – less than half of its first-preference vote from 2007. Without a significant number of transfers, the election count quickly turned into a rout. From 77 seats at dissolution, the party was reduced to a rump of 20 TDs, the worst election result in the party's 85-year history. The 57-seat loss far exceeded Fine Gael's 15-seat loss in
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
, the previous record for the worst defeat of a sitting government. By comparison, after the five elections since 1932 at which Fianna Fáil was consigned to opposition, it remained the largest party in the Dáil, with well over 60 TDs. The party suffered a near-total meltdown in Dublin, which had been one of the party's strongholds since
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
. Twelve of the party's 13 Dublin TDs seeking re-election were defeated. Outgoing Finance Minister
Brian Lenihan Jnr Brian Joseph Lenihan (21 May 1959 – 10 June 2011) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from March 2011 to June 2011, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law ...
barely retained his
Dublin West Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cens ...
seat on the fifth count, and was, until his death on 10 June 2011, the lone Fianna Fáil TD from the capital. Notably, the party was completely shut out in
Dublin Central Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...
, which former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had represented for 34 years. The most high-profile casualty was Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills Mary Coughlan, who lost the seat she had held in Donegal South-West since 1987. '' The Guardian'' newspaper described it as "Ireland's Portillo moment". She was the second Tánaiste in a row to lose their own seat in an election, after Michael McDowell in 2007. Other senior cabinet ministers who lost their seats included Pat Carey and
Mary Hanafin Mary Hanafin (born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport from 2010 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Inn ...
.
Junior ministers A minister is a politician who heads a ministry (government department), ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is desi ...
who lost their seats included Barry Andrews,
Áine Brady Áine Brady (; born 8 September 1954) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Minister of State from 2009 to 2011. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kildare North constituency from 2007 to 2011. She was Fianna Fáil's you ...
,
Seán Connick Seán Connick (born 27 August 1963) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with responsibility for Fisheries and Forestry from 2010 to 2011. He was a Teach ...
, John Curran,
Seán Haughey Seán Haughey (born 8 November 1961) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay North constituency since 2016, and previously from 1992 to 2011 for the Dublin North-Central constituency. He served ...
, Conor Lenihan, Martin Mansergh, Peter Power and
Dick Roche Richard Eoin Roche (born 30 March 1947) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister of State for European Affairs from 2002 to 2004 and 2007 to 2011 and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Minister for the ...
. Fianna Fáil also had no women TDs in the 31st Dáil. The severity of the defeat came as a shock to many of Fianna Fáil's senior leaders. Martin and others had concluded almost as soon as the election writ was drawn up that the party would not win a record fifth consecutive term in government. However, while they anticipated massive losses, they had hoped to hold on to at least 30 seats.


Fine Gael

Fine Gael became largest party in the Dáil for the first time in its 78-year history. The party won 76 seats, six more than its previous record seat count in
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
. There initially had been talk of Fine Gael winning an overall majority—something no Irish party has done since 1977—but the party ultimately came up seven seats short. The party also took 17 seats in the Dublin region-its best result in 29 years-to become the second party in the capital.


Labour Party

The Labour Party made a very strong showing, almost doubling its share of the vote to become the second-largest party in the Dáil, its best showing ever. It also took 18 seats in Dublin to become the first party in the capital. However, in contrast to predictions by Eamon Gilmore, most of the party's gains were in the Greater Dublin,
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
and Leinster constituencies. Despite an increase in its vote, the party only managed to win two seats in Connacht, both of which were in
County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...
.


Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin also made significant gains. All its sitting TDs were returned,
Seán Crowe Seán Crowe (born 7 March 1957) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency since the 2011 general election, and previously from 2002 to 2007. He was appointed Chair of the Commit ...
regaining the seat in Dublin South-West he lost in 2007, and party president Gerry Adams retaining Arthur Morgan's seat in
Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town *Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * County ...
, topping the poll. In addition to winning targeted seats such as
Dublin Central Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...
, Dublin North-West and Meath West the party gained unexpected seats in Cork East and Sligo–North Leitrim. It won 14 seats, the best performance for the party's current incarnation.


Green Party

The
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
lost all of the six seats it had previously held, including that of party leader John Gormley and Eamon Ryan, both of whom served as cabinet ministers in the previous government. Three out of their six incumbent TDs lost their deposits. The party's share of the vote fell below 2%, meaning that they could not reclaim election expenses, and their lack of parliamentary representation led to the ending of state funding for the party. This financial crisis made it likely that the Greens may have been forced to close their Dublin office and make "some if not all" of their staff redundant.


United Left Alliance

The United Left Alliance won five seats. Two former TDs returned to the Dáil: Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party and
Séamus Healy Séamus Healy (; born 9 August 1950) is a former Irish Independent politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 2000 to 2007 and 2011 to 2020. He is part of the Clonmel-based Workers and Unemployed Action (WUA) which had a number of loc ...
of the
Workers and Unemployed Action Workers and Unemployed Action (WUA; ) is an Irish political party based in Clonmel in South County Tipperary, set up in 1985 by Séamus Healy. WUA had one Teachta Dála (TD) until 2020 and has endorsed and seen a number of its members elected t ...
. Clare Daly became the Socialist Party's second-ever TD. The
People Before Profit People Before Profit ( ga, Pobal Roimh Bhrabús, PBP) is a left-wing to far-left Trotskyist political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. History PBP was established in 2005 as the ...
won its first two seats in Dáil Éireann, with Richard Boyd Barrett and Joan Collins elected. United Left Alliance candidates won a combined vote share of 2.7%, more than the Green Party.


Notable firsts

The 2011 election resulted in a record number of first time TDs, with 76 elected for the first time. It was the first occasion in which no political party won a seat in every constituency. Fine Gael took a seat in every constituency with the exception of Dublin North-West. Labour Party TDs
Dominic Hannigan Dominic Hannigan (born 10 July 1965) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath East constituency from 2011 to 2016. He was a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2007 to 2011. Early life Hannigan ...
and John Lyons became the first openly gay people to be elected to the Dáil.


TDs who lost their seats

Forty-five sitting TDs (27% of the total) lost their Dáil seats: Fianna Fáil (35), Green Party (6), Fine Gael (3) and Independent (1).


Former TDs re-elected

Eight former TDs were re-elected.


Leading vote-getters

The leading vote-getter in 2011 was Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny. The candidate who won the highest percentage of a quota was Fine Gael's Michael Noonan. The top ten by votes won were:


Reactions

Kenny said he would work on a quick formation of a new government, calling the verdict a "democratic revolution." He also said his top priority will be renegotiating the bailout. Despite his attempts to renegotiate the bailout, which was a condition in coalition talks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel response was read as a blow to these attempts when she said "We can't get to a point where Ireland pays lower interest rates than Portugal.
reland and Greece had Adriaan Reland (also known as ''Adriaen Reeland/Reelant'', ''Hadrianus Relandus'') (17 July 1676, De Rijp, North Holland5 February 1718, Utrecht John Gorton, ''A General Biographical Dictionary'', 1838, Whittaker & Co.) was a noted Dutch Orient ...
tapped an aid programme nd agreed to conditions that they must fulfil If the Irish government now has a problem with interest rates, our job is to figure out what we can do – or whether we can do anything." Pressure continued to mount on Kenny's attempt to reconfigure the loan terms of the bailout as Merkel was scheduled to attend a
European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...
leaders' meet that Kenny, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Union President Herman Van Rompuy (of Belgium's
CD&V Christian Democratic and Flemish (, , CD&V) is a Flemish Christian-democratic political party in Belgium. The party has historical ties to both trade unionism ( ACV) and trade associations (UNIZO) and the Farmer's League. Until 2001, the party wa ...
) were also attending. Host Finnish Finance Minister
Jyrki Katainen Jyrki Tapani Katainen (born 14 October 1971) is a Finnish politician who served as the European Commission's Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness from 2014 until 2019. Katainen was previously Prime Minister of Finland fr ...
, facing an election of his own, also opposed lowering Ireland's average loan rate of 5.8%. In response to talking about indebted states cannot expect concessions having agreed to additional measures to boost competitiveness and stabilise their finances, he said: "You can't be rewarded by others for doing your job well. The concession is that those countries' credibility in the markets will improve." The euro declined after the election on speculation the new government would seek to revalue the bailout with senior bank bond holders. The
Irish Stock Exchange Euronext Dublin (formerly The Irish Stock Exchange, ISE; ga, Stocmhalartán na hÉireann) is Ireland's main stock exchange, and has been in existence since 1793. The Euronext Dublin lists debt and fund securities and is used as a European g ...
's ISEQ index increased by over 1% on 28 February following the election. The ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' blamed Bertie Ahern and his finance ministers
Charlie McCreevy Charles McCreevy (born 30 September 1949) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services from 2004 to 2010, Minister for Finance from 1997 to 2004, Minister for Tourism and Trade fr ...
and Brian Cowen for having ignored warnings on public finances from civil servants during the Celtic Tiger days.


Analysis

The election result was read as harsh on the euro which Bloomberg read as its intention was to "provide economic harmony... ndensure political stability." Of which it said neither has happened. It also suggested that: ''The Irish Times'' columnist Diarmaid Ferriter likened Fianna Fáil's electoral meltdown to the 1918 election, which saw the Irish Parliamentary Party nearly wiped off the map by Sinn Féin. According to Ferriter, in both cases the electorate rejected "a tired old movement, arrogant from long-time electoral dominance". He even suggested Fianna Fáil might have been swept out of the chamber entirely in a first-past-the-post system, and that the party now faced a battle to stay relevant on the Irish political scene.


Government formation

With the largest number of seats, but not a majority, Fine Gael was the most likely party to lead the new government. There had been speculation that the party might be able to form a single-party minority government supported by a number of independents or by Fianna Fáil. However, it became clear almost as soon as the result was beyond doubt that Fine Gael's senior leadership preferred to go into coalition with the Labour Party. Following a meeting of the leaders of the two parties, negotiating teams were appointed on 1 March to discuss the possibility of agreeing a joint programme for government. The teams were Michael Noonan, Phil Hogan and
Alan Shatter Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Sou ...
for Fine Gael and
Joan Burton Joan Burton (born 1 February 1949) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as Tánaiste and Leader of the Labour Party from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Social Protection from 2011 to 2016, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2 ...
,
Brendan Howlin Brendan Howlin (born 9 May 1956) is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency since 1987. He previously served as Leader of the Labour Party from 2016 to 2020, Minister for Public Expenditu ...
and Pat Rabbitte for Labour. After meeting for a second day they described the talks as "friendly". Officials from the Department of Finance and the
National Treasury Management Agency The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) ( ga, Gníomhaireacht Bainistíochta an Chisteáin Náisiúnta) is the agency that manages the assets and liabilities of the Government of Ireland. It was established on 1 December 1990 to borrow for ...
also briefed them on economic issues as opposition parties had not been briefed before the election. Burton then said there was a "very challenging situation in the banking sector". Late on the night of 5 March, Fine Gael and Labour reached a formal coalition agreement. The programme for government was ratified the following day by a special delegate conference of the Labour Party and by a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party. This cleared the way for Enda Kenny to be nominated as Taoiseach on 9 March. The coalition deal was opposed within the Labour Party by
Tommy Broughan Thomas Broughan (born 1 August 1947) is a former Irish Independent politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1992 to 2020. He sat as a TD for the Labour Party until late 2011, representing the Dublin North-East constituency from 1992 ...
and
Joanna Tuffy Joanna Tuffy (born 9 March 1965) is an Irish Labour Party politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Mid-West constituency 2007 to 2016. She was a Senator for the Administrative Panel from 2002 to 2007. Early life Born in ...
. When the Dáil convened on 9 March, Kenny was the only candidate nominated as Taoiseach, and was elected by 117 votes for to 27 against. as well as the Fine Gael and Labour parties, he was supported by a number of independent TDs, while Fianna Fáil abstained on the vote. Under the terms of the deal, Gilmore became Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Labour have four other ministries.


See also

* Government of the 31st Dáil * Members of the 24th Seanad * Members of the 31st Dáil


Notes, citations and sources


Notes


References


Further reading

*


External links


Official election results handbook by the Irish GovernmentRetirements and Candidates for 31st Dáil
(ElectionsIreland.org)
RTÉ News – Election 2011
(Archived)
The Irish Times – Election 2011IrishPoliticians.com – Candidates by constituency, party and genderNSD: European Election Database – Ireland
publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1992–2011


Manifestos

* Fianna Fáil:
Real Plan Better Future
' * Fine Gael:
Let’s Get Ireland Working/ Cuirimis Éire Ag Obair
' *
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
:
Renewing Ireland
' * Labour Party:
One Ireland - Jobs, Reform, Fairness
'' * Sinn Féin:
There Is A Better Way/ Tá Bealach Níos Fearr Ann
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Irish General Election, 2011 General 2011 elections in the Republic of Ireland
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
31st Dáil February 2011 events in Europe