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| Irish general election: Voting to elect new parliament begins on Friday | Irish general election: Voting to elect new parliament begins on Friday |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Voters in the Republic of Ireland are going to the polls on Friday to elect 157 new members of parliament. | Voters in the Republic of Ireland are going to the polls on Friday to elect 157 new members of parliament. |
| The Irish parliament (Dáil) has reduced in size, meaning any new government needs the support of nearly 80 elected members (called Teachtaí Dála or TDs). | The Irish parliament (Dáil) has reduced in size, meaning any new government needs the support of nearly 80 elected members (called Teachtaí Dála or TDs). |
| More than 3m people are eligible to vote, including Irish and UK citizens. | More than 3m people are eligible to vote, including Irish and UK citizens. |
| Polling stations across 40 different constituencies will open at 07:00 local time (same as GMT) and will close at 22:00 on Friday. | |
| More than 2,000 voters living on Irish islands off the coast of counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway got the chance to cast their ballots on Thursday. | More than 2,000 voters living on Irish islands off the coast of counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway got the chance to cast their ballots on Thursday. |
| TDs will be elected according to the single transferable vote (STV) system, in which candidates have to reach a quota, before their surplus votes are distributed to other candidates. | TDs will be elected according to the single transferable vote (STV) system, in which candidates have to reach a quota, before their surplus votes are distributed to other candidates. |
| There will be a total of 158 seats in the next parliament, but one of them has already been filled. | There will be a total of 158 seats in the next parliament, but one of them has already been filled. |
| That is because, under Irish electoral law, the Speaker (Ceann Comhairle) is automatically re-elected unless they have announced their intention to retire. | That is because, under Irish electoral law, the Speaker (Ceann Comhairle) is automatically re-elected unless they have announced their intention to retire. |
| The election count is expected to last over the weekend. | The election count is expected to last over the weekend. |