Catherine Connolly, standing as an independent, won the election and will succeed Michael D. Higgins.
The President of Ireland is elected directly by the people of Ireland for a term of 7 years. The President can serve a maximum of two terms.
In 2024, Ireland held a snap general election on 29 November, after Prime Minister Simon Harris dissolved parliament (Oireachtas) on 8 November.
Fianna Fáil, which has been in the ruling coalition with Fine Gael and The Green Party since 2020, won the most seats in parliament with 48. The main opposition party Sinn Féin won 39 seats, while Fine Gael won 38 seats.
Ireland’s parliament has the lower house Dáil Éireann and the upper house Seanad Éireann.
Members of the Dáil, who are known as Teachtaí Dála (TDs), serve five-year terms.
The new parliament will see 174 TDs representing 43 Dáil constituencies, up from the previous 160 TDs in 39 constituencies.
The government is elected using a system of proportional representation known as the single transferable vote.
Ireland has a population of 5.27 million and approximately 3.6 million registered voters. In the 2025 presidential election, voter turnout was 45.8%.