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Voting has begun as Ireland chooses members of the European Parliament as well as new local councilors.<\/p>\nVoting has begun as Ireland chooses members of the European Parliament as well as new local councilors.<\/p>\n
Two of the 13 elected face an uncertain wait as to when they can take their seats due to the Brexit delay.<\/p>\n
Ireland is receiving two of the 27 places formerly reserved for the UK which are being redistributed among 14 member states.<\/p>\n
The UK is participating in the poll, with British MEPs set to attend the inaugural plenary session of the new parliament on July 2.<\/p>\n
As a result, those elected in last place in Ireland\u2019s Dublin and South constituencies must wait to see if they can take their seats.<\/p>\n
Residents on remote Atlantic islands off the coasts of Donegal, Galway and Mayo cast their votes a day early on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Local council elections are also being held on Friday, as is a referendum on divorce laws \u2013 with a Yes set to reduce the lengthy period separated couples have to wait before they can obtain a formal divorce.<\/p>\n
Voters in Cork, Waterford and Limerick will also be able to participate in separate plebiscites on government proposals to create directly elected city mayoral positions with executive functions.<\/p>\n
Counting in the local elections and divorce referendum will begin on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
The European election count for Ireland\u2019s three constituencies \u2013 Dublin, South, and Midlands-North-West \u2013 will commence on Sunday morning at centers in Dublin, Cork and Castlebar, Co Mayo.<\/p>\n
A Europe-wide embargo means the first results in that poll cannot be declared until 10pm (5pm EDT) that night. If previous elections are a guide, counting is likely to continue through into Monday.<\/p>\n
Counting in the mayoral plebiscites is likely to get under way in the three impacted cities on the Monday.<\/p>\n
The European and local government elections will be the first electoral test for Ireland\u2019s main parties since the inconclusive general election of 2016.<\/p>\n
The result delivered a hung parliament and precipitated months of negotiations between Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il, two parties with a century-old enmity dating back to Ireland\u2019s Civil War.<\/p>\n
A historic accord emerged that saw Fianna F\u00e1il agree to support a minority Fine Gael-led government through a confidence and supply deal for three years.<\/p>\n
The parties renewed that arrangement late last year, extending what has been dubbed an era of \u201cnew politics\u201d until early 2020.<\/p>\n
While Friday\u2019s elections focus on European and council issues, the results will no doubt be interpreted as a public judgment on Fine Gael\u2019s performance in government and how effectively Fianna F\u00e1il has managed the delicate balancing act of holding an administration to account while at the same time propping it up.<\/p>\n
Other smaller parties in the Oireachtas parliament, such as Sinn F\u00e9in, the Green Party and Labour, will hope to be the beneficiaries of any potential public disaffection with \u201cnew politics\u201d.<\/p>\n