2019 European Parliament election in Ireland

Last updated

2019 European Parliament election in Ireland
Flag of Ireland.svg
  2014 24 May 2019 2024  

13 Irish seats to the European Parliament
(2 of which were post-Brexit seats)
Opinion polls
Turnout1,751,873 (49.7% Decrease2.svg 2.7pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Leo Varadkar TD (cropped).jpg
Micheal Martin TD (cropped).jpg
Eamon Ryan 2020 (cropped).jpg
Leader Leo Varadkar Micheál Martin Eamon Ryan
Party Fine Gael Fianna Fáil Green
Alliance EPP Renew Greens/EFA
Leader since 2 June 2017 26 January 2011 27 May 2011
Last election22.3%, 4 seats22.3%, 1 seat4.9%, 0 seats
Seats won
5 / 13
[nb 1]
2 / 13
[nb 2]
2 / 13
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 1Increase2.svg 2Increase2.svg 2
Popular vote496,459277,705190,755
Percentage29.6%16.6%11.4%
SwingIncrease2.svg 7.3 ppDecrease2.svg 5.7 ppIncrease2.svg 6.5 pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
I4C MEPs 2019.jpg
Mary Lou McDonald, 2018.jpg
Brendan Howlin (official portrait) (cropped).jpg
LeaderCollective leadership [lower-alpha 1] Mary Lou McDonald Brendan Howlin
Party Inds. 4 Change Sinn Féin Labour
Alliance GUE/NGL GUE/NGL S&D
Leader sincen/a10 February 2018 20 May 2016
Last electionNew Party19.5%, 3 seats5.3%, 0 seats
Seats won
2 / 13
1 / 13
0 / 13
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 2Decrease2.svg 2Steady2.svg
Popular vote124,085196,00152,753
Percentage7.4%11.7%3.1%
Swingn/aDecrease2.svg 7.8 ppDecrease2.svg 2.2 pp

Map of the European Parliament election (2019) (Ireland).svg
2019 European Parliament Ireland constituencies Ireland-European-Parliament-Constituencies-2019.svg
2019 European Parliament Ireland constituencies

The 2019 European Parliament election in Ireland is the Irish component of the 2019 European Parliament election and was held on Friday, 24 May 2019, on the same day as the 2019 local elections and a referendum easing restrictions on divorce. [1] The election was conducted in three constituencies under the single transferable vote (STV). Thirteen MEPs were elected, but the last candidate elected in both Dublin and South did not take their seats until after Brexit on 31 January 2020.

Contents

Constituency changes

The United Kingdom invoked Article 50 to withdraw from the European Union on 29 March 2017 following the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union. As Article 50 has a two-year period for withdrawal, the United Kingdom would not be part of the 2019 European Parliament election scheduled for May 2019. In July 2018, the European Council made a decision to redistribute a number of the seats from the United Kingdom to other member states. The allocation of MEPs from Ireland increased from 11 to 13; however, this change would not take effect until the United Kingdom has left the EU, which took place on 31 January 2020. As the United Kingdom was still a member of the EU at the beginning of the 2019–2024 parliamentary term, the allocation of seats will remain as it was in the previous parliament, until its withdrawal becomes legally effective. [2] [3] [4]

A Constituency Commission chaired by High Court judge Robert Haughton was established by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government in July 2018 to redraw constituencies in line with the change in seats. [5] [6] The commission's report was published on 24 September 2018 and proposed the following changes: [7] [8]

The European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Act 2019 enacted the changes recommended by the Constituency Commission. [9]

It also provided for the situation that Ireland's representation remained at 11 with an amendment to the rules, "For the purpose of the European elections held in the year 2019, the return made by the chief returning officer […] shall declare that the last candidate deemed to be elected […] in each of the constituencies of Dublin and South as specified in the Third Schedule, shall not take up their seats in the European Parliament until such time as a date has been specified by the Parliament for the taking up of such seats". [10]

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had incorrectly suggested that the votes would be counted twice in the constituencies which had an increased number of seats, to account for either contingency. However, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy later clarified that there would be only one count for each constituency, and that the final candidate to be deemed elected in Dublin and South would not take their seats until the withdrawal of the United Kingdom. [11]

Retiring incumbents

The following MEPs did not seek re-election:

ConstituencyDeparting MEPPartyEP GroupFirst electedDate announced
Dublin Nessa Childers Independent S&D 2009 18 July 2017 [12]
South Brian Crowley Independent ECR 1994 17 January 2019 [13]
Dublin Brian Hayes Fine Gael EPP 2014 6 November 2018 [14]
Midlands–North-West Marian Harkin Independent ALDE 2004 1 April 2019 [15]

Candidates

Nominations closed at midday on 15 April 2019, with 59 candidates in total: 19 in Dublin (4 seats), 17 in Midlands–North-West (4 seats) and 23 in South (5 seats). [16]

Results

2019 Election to the European Parliament in Ireland
Party Euro party Euro group Party LeaderVotes %+/–Seats+/–Brexit seats
Fine Gael EPP EPP Leo Varadkar 496,45929.6+7.3
5 / 13
Increase2.svg 1+1
Fianna Fáil ALDE RE Micheál Martin 277,70516.6–5.7
2 / 13
Increase2.svg 1+1
Green Green Greens/EFA Eamon Ryan 190,75511.4+6.5
2 / 13
Increase2.svg 2
Inds. 4 Change None GUE/NGL Collective leadership124,0857.4new
2 / 13
Increase2.svg 2
Sinn Féin None GUE/NGL Mary Lou McDonald 196,00111.7–7.8
1 / 13
Decrease2.svg 2
Labour PES S&D Brendan Howlin 52,7533.1–2.2
0 / 13
Steady2.svg
Solidarity–PBP EACL GUE/NGL Collective leadership38,7712.3–1.0
0 / 13
Steady2.svg
Social Democrats NoneNone Catherine Murphy
Róisín Shortall
20,3311.2new
0 / 13
Steady2.svg
Renua NoneNone John Leahy 6,8970.4new
0 / 13
Steady2.svg
Workers' Party INITIATIVE NoneMichael Donnelly3,7010.2new
0 / 13
Steady2.svg
Identity Ireland NoneNonePeter O'Loughlin3,6850.2new
0 / 13
Steady2.svg
Direct Democracy NoneNonePat Greene2,7730.2–1.3
0 / 13
Steady2.svg
Independent 264,08715.7–4.1
1 / 13
Decrease2.svg 2
Valid votes1,678,00395.8
Blank and invalid votes73,8704.2
Totals1,751,873100.0
13 / 13
+2
Electorate (eligible voters) and voter turnout3,526,02349.7–2.7
Source: RTÉ News

MEPs elected

ConstituencyNamePartyEP group [17]
Midlands–North-West [18] Mairead McGuinness Fine Gael EPP
Luke 'Ming' Flanagan Independent GUE/NGL
Matt Carthy Sinn Féin GUE/NGL
Maria Walsh Fine Gael EPP
Dublin [19] Ciarán Cuffe Green Greens/EFA
Frances Fitzgerald Fine Gael EPP
Clare Daly Inds. 4 Change GUE/NGL
Barry Andrews Fianna Fáil RE
South Seán Kelly Fine Gael EPP
Billy Kelleher Fianna Fáil RE
Mick Wallace Inds. 4 Change GUE/NGL
Grace O'Sullivan Green Greens/EFA
Deirdre Clune Fine Gael EPP

Independents 4 Change was not affiliated to a parliamentary group at the time of the election, but joined European United Left–Nordic Green Left group. [20]

Opinion polls

Party opinion polling

Nationwide

Last date
of polling
Polling firm / CommissionerConstituencySample
size
FG FF SF Lab GP S–PBP SD RI IA O/I [nb 3]
17 April 2019 Red C/The Sunday Business Post [21] Dublin, Midlands-North-West, South 1,00033211644010221 [nb 4]

Dublin

Last date
of polling
Polling firm / CommissionerSample
size
FG SF FF GP I4C S–PBP Lab SD O/I
16 May 2019 Red C/The Sunday Business Post [22] 55325131211975415 [nb 4]
10 May 2019 Ipsos MRBI/The Irish Times [23] 5002913189106816 [nb 4]

Midlands-North-West

Last date
of polling
Polling firm / CommissionerSample
size
FG FF SF GP Lab O/I
16 May 2019 Red C/The Sunday Business Post [24] 6463715144327 [nb 4]
10 May 2019 Ipsos MRBI/The Irish Times [23] 5003713143231 [nb 4]

South

Last date
of polling
Polling firm / CommissionerSample
size
FG FF SF I4C GP Lab S–PBP O/I
16 May 2019 Red C/The Sunday Business Post [25] 825302315883310 [nb 4]
10 May 2019 Ipsos MRBI/The Irish Times [23] 50037231485516 [nb 4]

Candidate polling

Dublin

Last date
of polling
Polling firm / CommissionerSample
size
Fitzgerald (FG) Boylan (SF) Andrews (FF) Cuffe (GP) Daly (I4C) Durkan (FG) White (Lab)Harrold (S–PBP) Gannon (SD)Brien (S–PBP) Higgins (Ind)O/I
16 May 2019 Red C/The Sunday Business Post [22] 55317131211985443213 [nb 4]
10 May 2019 Ipsos MRBI/The Irish Times [23] 5002213189107831324 [nb 4]

Midlands-North-West

Last date
of polling
Polling firm / CommissionerSample
size
McGuinness (FG) Carthy (SF) Flanagan (Ind) Walsh (FG) Casey (Ind) Smith (FF) Rabbitte (FF)McHugh (GP) Hannigan (Lab)O'Dowd (RI)O/I
16 May 2019 Red C/The Sunday Business Post [24] 6462714121010964323 [nb 4]
10 May 2019 Ipsos MRBI/The Irish Times [23] 500261416119853214 [nb 4]

South

Last date
of polling
Polling firm / CommissionerSample
size
Kelly (FG) Ní Riada (SF) Kelleher (FF) Byrne (FF) Wallace (I4C) O'Sullivan (GP) Clune (FG) Doyle (FG) Nunan (Lab)Wallace (S–PBP)O/I
16 May 2019 Red C/The Sunday Business Post [25] 8251715131088763310 [nb 4]
10 May 2019 Ipsos MRBI/The Irish Times [23] 5001814131085109517 [nb 4]

See also

Footnotes

  1. When the United Kingdom left the European Union and the seats in the European Parliament were redistributed, Fine Gael/EPP Group gained an additional seat in the South constituency.
  2. When the United Kingdom left the European Union and the seats in the European Parliament were redistributed, Fianna Fáil/Renew Europe gained an additional seat in the Dublin constituency.
  3. This column includes figures for Independents 4 Change and Aontú when available.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 A figure for 'Others/Independents' is not mentioned in the cited source, but has been calculated by subtracting the other parties from 100%, so the figure shown may be slightly inaccurate due to rounding effects.
  1. Pictured here is the party's two successful candidates in this election, Mick Wallace and Clare Daly

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