Irish general election: What's at stake for the parties?

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, The Irish general election will take place on Saturday 8 February
  • Author, Shane Harrison
  • Role, 91热爆 NI Dublin correspondent

While there have been referendums in the past on a Saturday a general election is most unusual.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar had, in the past, said he wanted a late Spring or early Summer election but, after recent by-election defeats, his position in the D谩il (Irish Parliament) became untenable.

The House was due to sit again on Wednesday afternoon after its Christmas break but that will not now happen.

The newly elected TDs will now gather on 20 February for the 33rd D谩il.

Even as the cabinet was meeting on Tuesday morning and Mr Varadkar was briefing his Fine Gael party colleagues and other independent ministers on the decision to dissolve the current D谩il, election posters in his Dublin West constituency were going up.

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, This will be Leo Varadkar's first election campaign as taoiseach

Opinion polls have put his party marginally ahead of Fianna F谩il, the main opposition party led by Miche谩l Martin.

But last week's local election results - normally a good indicator for what will happen in a general election - suggested that Fianna F谩il has a very good result and has made headway in Dublin.

The Irish capital has, for nearly a decade, been a relative black spot for the main opposition party.

Sinn F茅in, led by Mary Lou McDonald, goes into this election knowing it will do well to hold onto its current number of seats.

Image source, RTE

Image caption, Miche谩l Martin is a proven campaigner

The party has had a series of poor results recently notwithstanding one by-election win and both the main parties have ruled out going into coalition with Sinn F茅in.

Fine Gael, which has been in power for nine years, is likely to concentrate on a healthy economy.

It will also point to Fianna F谩il's stewardship that led to the Celtic Tiger's crash and the EU-IMF bank-related bailout a decade ago.

The opposition parties will concentrate their fire on the government's record on health and housing, including homelessness.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Mary Lou McDonald goes into the election knowing her party will do well to hold onto its current number of seats

The UK will leave the EU during the course of the campaign on 31 January and Fine Gael hopes it will get a boost from voters being reminded by what they see as its sure-footed handling of the issue.

But the opposition parties will point to the D谩il consensus on the issue.

This will be Leo Varadkar's first election campaign as taoiseach and he will be up against a proven campaigner in Miche谩l Martin.

At this early stage, a very close result is expected but politicians from all parties know campaigns develop their own momentum.