Ireland's opposition party Sinn Féin looked on course to narrowly win the popular vote in the country's general election on Friday, an exit poll suggested, but its two main political rivals— the incumbent coalition parties of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil— will likely have enough support to retain power.

The Republic of Ireland elects its government using a system of proportional representation known as the single transferable vote. Voters will have the opportunity to rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference, marking their favourite with a number one, a number two beside their next choice and so on.

After the 2020 election ended in a virtual dead heat they formed a coalition, agreeing to share Cabinet posts and take turns as taoiseach, or prime minister. Fianna Fail leader Mi

An exit poll in Ireland’s general election suggests the three biggest parties have won roughly equal shares and the country is headed for another coalition government

Voting closes in Ireland’s election, with exit poll suggesting three biggest parties winning roughly equal shares

The polls are set to open for the Irish general election. Polling stations will be open between 07:00 and 22:00 local time on Friday to allow voters to choose representatives to serve as Teachtaí Dála (TDs) in the Dáil,