The polls have opened for the Irish general election. Voters are able to cast their ballot up until 22:00 local time to choose representatives to serve as Teachtaí Dála (TDs) in the Dáil, the lower house of the Oireachtas (Ireland's parliament). The next Dáil, which will be the 34th, will have 174 TDs, up from 160 in 2020. Friday's vote comes after a three-week election campaign. Voters will elect 173 TDs, as one seat in the Dáil goes to the Ceann Comhairle (Speaker). Eighty-eight TDs is the number required for an overall majority. The new TDs will represent 43 constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland. More than 3.4 million people are registered to vote in the Republic of Ireland. To vote in the election, voters must be over 18 years of age, be an Irish or British citizen, be resident in Ireland, and be listed on the Irish Electoral Register. Election candidates include representatives from the three main parties — outgoing coalition partners Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and the leading opposition party in the outgoing Dáíl, Sinn Féin. These parties are joined by many smaller parties and a significant number of independent candidates. The counting of votes begins on Saturday morning and is expected to continue over the weekend and possibly into the following week. The first sitting of the 34th Dáil is scheduled for Wednesday 18 December at 10:30. A government will be officially formed when the Dáil passes a vote to install a new taoiseach (Irish prime minister). — BBC
