Voting underway in Ireland in general election that will set political landscape for next five years

Voting is under way in Ireland in a general election that will set the political landscape for the next five years.The polls opened at 7am and will close at 10pm, with a total of 174 seats in the country’s parliament to be filled – more than ever before.More than three million registered voters will pick their representatives across 43 constituencies, in a campaign that has focused on the country’s housing crisis, the response to a dramatic increase in immigration, and economic management for the cost of living as well as potential future trade shocks.

An exit poll at 10pm will provide the first sense of what Ireland’s next government may look like. The arithmetic to form a majority could prove tricky, though, with the country’s several smaller parties – and many independents – potentially jockeying for a place in government.The final results will immediately kick-start government formation speculation – amid the possibility that more than three parties will be needed to get over the line.The protracted process of counting ballots by hand will begin on Saturday.As Ireland uses a system of proportional representation where candidates are ranked by preference, the voting slips need to be counted several times – an undertaking which can last for days.

UTV will have extensive coverage as counting gets underway across TV and online platforms.

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