Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris sets date for general election | World News

Ireland’s prime minister has set a date for a general election and will ask the president to dissolve parliament ahead of voting.

Simon Harris announced the polling date as 29 November, saying the “time is now right” to ask the Irish people for a new mandate.

It means a relatively short campaign of just three weeks will be run ahead of polling day, bringing to an end the four-and-a-half-year lifespan of the historic Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party coalition government.

After the 2020 general election delivered an inconclusive result, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, two parties forged from opposing sides of Ireland’s Civil War of the 1920s, agreed to set aside almost a century of animosity and share power.

The Green Party joined the administration as a junior partner.

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Ireland’s prime minister has set a date for a general election and will ask the president to dissolve parliament ahead of voting.

Simon Harris announced the polling date as 29 November, saying the “time is now right” to ask the Irish people for a new mandate.

It means a relatively short campaign of just three weeks will be run ahead of polling day, bringing to an end the four-and-a-half-year lifespan of the historic Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Green Party coalition government.

After the 2020 general election delivered an inconclusive result, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, two parties forged from opposing sides of Ireland’s Civil War of the 1920s, agreed to set aside almost a century of animosity and share power.

The Green Party joined the administration as a junior partner.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.