More than half of the Irish public want a general election this month, a poll has indicated.
While the current Fine Gael/Fianna Fail/Green Party coalition can continue until early 2025, there has been speculation the next general election may be called sooner.
Taoiseach Simon Harris and his Fine Gael party are continuing to ride high in the polls, with the latest Sunday Independent/Ireland Think poll indicating he has the highest party leader support level on 53%, while Fine Gael support is at 26%.
Harris said on Friday the next election will come ‘in due course’, while Tanaiste Micheal Martin on Saturday said the three party leaders have said they want to go ‘the full distance’.
Martin said there are a number of Bills the government wants to make progress on, including the finance bill, social protection measures, mental health bill, defamation bill, gambling bill and the planning bill.
The poll found 55% of those surveyed want an election to be held this month or next, while 56% predict the polls will open in November.
Meanwhile, three-quarters of respondents believe the government was trying to ‘buy’ the election with last week’s Budget, and 71% agreed with concerns from the Irish Fiscal Council that the spending review has put the country at risk of repeating past mistakes.
Some 61% of Fianna Fail supporters, 46% of Fine Gael supporters and 96% of Sinn Fein supporters felt the Budget was an attempt to ‘buy’ the election.
In terms of party strengths, the poll indicates Fine Gael has moved up one point to 26% support, Fianna Fail is down two to 19% and Sinn Fein is up one point to 19%.
Of the smaller parties, the Social Democrats were up two percentage points to 6%, Labour up one point to 5% and Aontu up one point to 4%.
There was no change for the Green Party or People Before Profit-Solidarity, and the poll found independents and others are down three points to 16%.
While Harris is still leading the party leader approval ratings at 53%, Fianna Fail’s Martin is on 50%, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has 40% support and Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald is on 34%.
Speaking at the People Before Profit Solidarity conference in Dublin on Sunday, TD Richard Boyd Barrett said they are preparing for an ‘imminent general election’.
He contended the current government has ‘failed utterly with all the billions available to it to do anything to address the catastrophic housing and homelessness crisis’.
‘We believe that after 100 years of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and their continual failure, we need a clear left alternative.
‘I think we can win a number of seats and actually increase the number of seats.
‘I think once the election is called people will begin to focus on a way that they haven’t up until now, and be looking for a genuine left alternative.’
source: PA
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