On 24 October, left-wing independent Catherine Connolly secured a landslide victory in Ireland’s presidential election. Connolly took 63.4 per cent of first-preference votes, while Heather Humphreys of the ruling Fine Gael Party received 29.5 per cent. Fianna Fáil’s candidate, Jim Gavin, had withdrawn from the campaign but remained on the ballot, winning 7.2 per cent of the vote. Connolly will succeed President Michael D. Higgins of the Labour Party, who reached the constitutional two-term limit. Voter turnout increased from 43.9 in 2018 to 45.8 in these elections. 

Sources: Office of Ireland’s Presidential Returning Officer, The Guardian, Reuters, International IDEA 

On 1 August, the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Ireland (and other EU member states) cannot use increases in the number of asylum seekers as a justification for failing to provide for their basic needs. The case concerned two International Protection (IP) applicants, an Afghan and an Indian, who had experienced extended periods of homelessness due to a lack of accommodation. Since 2023, single adult male asylum seekers in Ireland have not been guaranteed shelter because of accommodation shortages. While in 2023, the IP accommodation authority acknowledged that this breached EU reception rules, it argued that the influx and shortages constituted ‘force majeure,’ justifying a temporary exception. The High Court subsequently referred the matter to the ECJ. The case will now return to the High Court for final decisions, which must align with the ECJ’s binding interpretation of EU law.

Sources: Court of Justice of the European Union, Irish Times, Irish Refugee Council

Ireland held early general elections on 29 November, after Prime Minister Simon Harris announced a snap election in a bid to secure another term for his Fine Gael party, which has been in office since 2011, and in a three-party coalition in the last mandate. Out of the 174 seats of the Dáil Éireann (Assembly), Fianna Fáil won 48 seats with a vote share of 21.9 per cent. The Sinn Féin party secured 39 seats, with a vote share of 19 per cent, and the Fine Gael secured 38 seats, with a vote share of 20.8 per cent. Voter turnout declined from 62.7 per cent in 2020 to 59.7 per cent in 2024. Despite the highest number of female candidates (246 out of 686) registered in Irish general elections, only 44 were elected. Women will make up just over 25 per cent of the new legislature—a modest increase from 23 per cent in the previous legislature, but still one of the lowest proportions of female MPs in Western Europe. 

Sources: Raidió Teilifís Éireann, British Broadcasting Corporation (1), British Broadcasting Corporation (2), Financial Times, Politico, International IDEA, Inter-Parliamentary Union, The Guardian, The Times 

On 1 August, the High Court ruled that the Irish government's failure to meet the basic needs of asylum seekers violated its legal obligations under Article 1 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The judgment followed a case brought by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) against the State, marking the first time IHREC exercised its legal authority. However, the Court acknowledged the government's significant efforts to fulfill its responsibilities in providing asylum accommodation. The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) emphasized the ruling's importance, not only for the outcome but also for its analysis of the State's practical response. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged the government to take immediate action to ensure accommodation for all asylum seekers. Amid a housing crisis, homelessness among asylum seekers has become a significant issue, and hostilities against asylum seekers have increased.

Sources: Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, British Broadcasting Corporation, Jurist, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,International IDEA (1), International IDEA (2)