Irish general election: vote counting has already begun

Because of the voting system, counting votes can sometimes take several days, and forming a government can take even longer.

It took four months after the last general election in 2020 before Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party reached an agreement to form a government.

Sinn Féin has become the leading opposition party, with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael already ruling them out as potential coalition partners.

The first meeting of the new Dáil (lower house of parliament) will take place on December 18, but it is unlikely that coalition negotiations will be completed by then.

The government will be formally formed when the Dáil votes to appoint a new Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland), but this is not expected to happen until 2025.