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Polls open in close-run election to choose Ireland's new government

DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland is voting Friday in a parliamentary election that will decide the next government — and will show whether Ireland bucks the global trend of incumbents being ousted by disgruntled voters after years of pandemic, international ins
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Tanaiste and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, right, meets Barney Hynes and his grandson Wyatt McLoughlin in Arklow, Ireland, on the last day of campaigning on the eve of the General Election, Thursday Nov. 28, 2024. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland is voting Friday in a parliamentary election that will decide the next government — and will show whether Ireland bucks the global trend of incumbents being ousted by disgruntled voters after years of pandemic, international instability and a cost-of-living pressures.

Polls opened at 7 a.m.. (0700GMT), and Ireland’s 3.8 million voters are selecting 174 lawmakers to sit in the Dail, the lower house of parliament.

Analysts say a coalition of the outgoing center-right ruling parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fail is the most likely outcome, but there are many variables.

Jill Lawless And Peter Morrison, The Associated Press