Irish voters face long wait for results in tight general election

With no outright majority expected, party leaders are bracing for a ‘fascinating’ period of political negotiation

Irish voters have been casting their ballots in a general election in which the incumbent taoiseach, Simon Harris, is under pressure from the resurgent leftwing nationalist party Sinn Féin, the former political wing of the IRA, led by Mary Lou McDonald.

Counting in Friday’s ballot will not begin until 9am on Saturday, with close-to-final results expected by the end of Sunday.