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Outgoing coalition partners Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, however, claim they are well placed to return to power following Ireland’s General Election.

Friday's vote is "an historic opportunity" to elect Ireland's first female prime minister, Ms McDonald says, and should that happen, she plans to put reunification at the heart of government, with a referendum by 2030.

It means the Fianna Fail leader and Fine Gael’s Simon Harris are set to return to government in Dublin. The two parties are merely two votes shy of an overall majority – killing prospect of a left-leaning coalition led by Sinn Fein.

Ireland - November 30, 2024 As vote counting begun following Ireland's general election on Friday, exit polls show a neck-and-neck race between the country's three major political parties, with Sinn Fein,