2025 Seanad Election

An indirect election to the 27th Seanad took place in January 2025, following the 2024 general election to the 34th Dáil in November 2024. Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas, with Dáil Éireann as its lower house. Polls closed for six senators elected in two university constituencies on 29 January and for 43 senators elected on five vocational panels on 30 January; the remaining 11 senators were be nominated by the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin.

The election saw senators from Aontú and the Social Democrats elected for the first time.

Background

The Constitution of Ireland provides that a Seanad election must take place within 90 days of the dissolution of the Dáil Éireann. The 33rd Dáil was dissolved on 8 November 2024. On 15 November 2024, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien, signed an order for the Seanad elections, providing 29 January as the deadline for ballots in the university constituencies and 30 January as the deadline for ballots for the vocational panels.

Electoral system

There are 60 seats in the Seanad, each elected via one of three methods: direct election via voters who are university graduates, indirect election via a body of other previously elected politicians, or appointment by the Taoiseach.

All votes are cast by postal ballot, and are counted using the single transferable vote. Under this system, voters can rank candidates in order of their preference (1 as their first preference, 2 for second preference, and so on). In counting votes for the vocational panels, ballots are initially given a value of 1,000 to allow calculation of quotas where all ballots are distributed in the case of a surplus, rather than taking a representative sample as is done in counting votes for the university constituencies or Dáil elections. The quota for election is given as:

$\left( \frac \right) + 1$.

University constituencies

Six senators are directly elected from two university constituencies: three from the National University constituency and three from the Dublin University (Trinity College Dublin) constituency. This will be the last general election from these constituencies. Under the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Act 2024, at the next Seanad general election held after 21 March 2025, they will be substituted by a new six-seat Higher Education constituency. This legislation was enacted in response to the judgment of the Supreme Court in ''Heneghan v Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government'' (2023).

Vocational panels

Forty-three senators are indirectly elected by an electorate of elected politicians, consisting of members of the incoming 34th Dáil, members of the outgoing 26th Seanad, and incumbent city and county councillors, who have ballots for each of the five vocational panels. There are 1,172 electors for the election of panel members. The Seanad returning officer maintains a list of qualified nominating bodies for each panel. Candidates may be nominated by nominating bodies (outside sub-panel) or by members of the Oireachtas (inside sub-panel). In each vocational panel, there is a minimum number who must be elected from either the inside or the outside sub-panel. If the number of candidates nominated for each sub-panel does not exceed by two the maximum number which may be elected from that sub-panel, the Taoiseach shall nominate candidates to fill the deficiency.

Electors for the panels elect:
* Seven seats from the Administrative Panel, with a minimum of three from inside and outside sub-panels: Public administration and social services (including the voluntary sector).
* Eleven seats from the Agricultural Panel, with a minimum of four: Agriculture and the fisheries.
* Five seats from the Cultural and Educational Panel, with a minimum of two: Education, the arts, the Irish language and Irish culture and literature.
* Nine seats from the Industrial and Commercial Panel, with a minimum of three: Industry and commerce (including engineering and architecture).
* Eleven seats from the Labour Panel, with a minimum of four: Labour (organised or otherwise).

Appointment

The 11 nominated senators will be appointed by the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. Under the agreement that formed their government, six senators will be chosen by Martin and five will be chosen by Tánaiste Simon Harris.

Campaign

On 18 December, it was reported that outgoing Green Party senators Róisín Garvey and Vincent P. Martin, as well as Sinn Féin's Fintan Warfield would not be contesting the elections for the new Seanad. Green Party Minister of State and senator Pippa Hackett and Fine Gael's John McGahon said they would be taking a step back from politics. A fourth Green Party senator Pauline O'Reilly also confirmed she would not be returning to the Seanad. Despite initially ruling himself out of a continued career in politics, Fine Gael senator Seán Kyne later confirmed he would contest the election.

Members of the outgoing Seanad not seeking election

Election process

Results

To facilitate the transfer of fractional surpluses, each valid ballot paper for the vocational panels is given a value of 1,000.

National University of Ireland

Dublin University

Administrative Panel

Agricultural Panel

Cultural and Educational Panel

Industrial and Commercial Panel

Labour Panel

Nominated by the Taoiseach

The eleven nominated members were divided among the coalition partners, with 6 Fianna Fáil and 5 Fine Gael members chosen. For the first time since 1989, no Independent senators were nominated.

Notes

References

Footnotes

External links

Seanad general election 2025 – Houses of the Oireachtas

Seanad Éireann Election 2025 – Dublin University

Seanad Éireann Election 2025 – National University

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