2002 Irish general election
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165 of 166 seats in Dáil Éireann 84 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 62.6% ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Percentage of seats gained by each of the five biggest parties, and number of seats gained by smaller parties and independents. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2002 Irish general election was held on Friday, 17 May just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday, 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. The newly elected members of the 29th Dáil assembled on Thursday, 6 June.
The general election took place in 42 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 165 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann.
Overview[]
The general election was significant for a number of reasons:
- The election was considered a success for Fianna Fáil, with the party coming within a handful of seats from achieving an overall majority (the nearest the country came to a one party majority government since 1987). The only high-profile loss was Mary O'Rourke losing her seat in Westmeath.
- The re-election of the Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrats government, the first occasion since 1969 that an Irish government won re-election.
- The meltdown in Fine Gael support, which saw the main opposition party drop from 54 to 31 seats, and lose all but three seats in Dublin.
- The failure of the Labour Party, contrary to all expectations, to increase its seat total. Later in the year, Ruairi Quinn stepped down as leader of the Labour Party. He was replaced by Pat Rabbitte, who was one of four Democratic Left TDs who joined in a merger with Labour in 1999. The most high-profile loss for the party was the defeat of former leader Dick Spring in Kerry.
- The success of the Green Party, which increased its TDs from two to six, including its first Teachta Dála (TD) outside of Dublin.
- The electoral success of Sinn Féin, which increased its seat number from one to five.
- The election of a large number of independent candidates.
- Contrary to what opinion polls and political pundits were predicting, the Progressive Democrats kept all of their seats, and picked up four more.
- It was the first time electronic voting machines were used in an Irish election. They were used in three constituencies: Dublin North, Dublin West and Meath.
Fine Gael[]
The most noticeable feature of the election was the collapse in Fine Gael's vote. It suffered its second worst electoral result ever (after the 1948 general election), with several prominent members failing to get re-elected, including:
- Alan Dukes – former party leader
- Jim Mitchell – deputy leader
- Nora Owen – former deputy leader and former Minister for Justice
- Austin Currie – former presidential candidate
- Jim Higgins – former Chief Whip
- Alan Shatter – front bench member
- Deirdre Clune – front bench member
- Michael Creed – front bench member
- Frances Fitzgerald – front bench member
The party's losses were especially pronounced in Dublin, where just three TDs (Richard Bruton, Gay Mitchell and Olivia Mitchell) were returned, fewer than Fianna Fáil, Labour, the Progressive Democrats or the Greens. The reasons for the drop in support for Fine Gael are many and varied:
- There was an element of bad luck in some losses, and the proportion of seats they lost (42.6%) was much greater than the proportion of votes (25.2%).
- In 2002, the Irish economy was booming, unemployment was low, and the outgoing government was a stable one that had lasted its full term.
- No other opposition party, noticeably Labour, would agree to a pre-election pact with Fine Gael, sensing the unpopularity of the party. This meant that no-one felt that Fine Gael would be able to lead a government after the election. In contrast, the two parties of the outgoing government fought the election on a united front.
- The Fine Gael party was poorly organised in Dublin, and morale was low.
- The political landscape had changed in Ireland since Fine Gael's heyday in the 1980s. The Progressive Democrats and the Green Party in particular ate into Fine Gael's middle class support, and anti-Fianna Fáil voters had a much wider range of parties to choose from. All 4 of the extra seats won by the Green Party were at the expense of Fine Gael, as were 3 out of 4 of the Progressive Democrats' gains.
- Toward the end of the campaign, Michael McDowell warned that because Fianna Fáil were so high in the opinion polls, they could form a government by themselves. This led to a significant shift to the Progressive Democrats at the last minute, and many Fine Gael voters voted strategically for the Progressive Democrats to avoid a single-party Fianna Fáil government.
In the immediate aftermath of the election, Fine Gael leader Michael Noonan announced his resignation from the leadership and Enda Kenny was chosen as the new leader in the subsequent election.
Results[]
Party | Fianna Fáil | Fine Gael | Labour Party | Sinn Féin | Progressive Democrats | Green Party | Socialist Party |
Leader | Bertie Ahern | Michael Noonan | Ruairi Quinn | Gerry Adams | Mary Harney | Trevor Sargent | Joe Higgins |
Votes | 41.5%, 770,748 | 22.5%, 417,619 | 10.8%, 200,130 | 6.5%, 121,020 | 4.0%, 73,628 | 3.8%, 71,470 | 0.8%, 14,896 |
Seats | 81 (48.8%) | 31 (18.7%) | 20 (12.7%) | 5 (3.0%) | 8 (4.8%) | 6 (3.6%) | 1 (0.6%) |
81 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
Fianna Fáil | PDs | Inds | Fine Gael | Labour Party | Green Party | Sinn Féin |
Vote Share of different parties in the election.
Election to the 29th Dáil – 17 May 2002[1][2][3] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Party | Leader | Seats | ± | % of seats |
First pref. votes |
% FPv | ±% | |
Fianna Fáil | Bertie Ahern | 81 | ![]() |
48.8 | 770,748 | 41.5 | ![]() | |
Fine Gael | Michael Noonan | 31 | ![]() |
18.7 | 417,619 | 22.5 | ![]() | |
Labour | Ruairi Quinn | 20 | ![]() |
12.7 | 200,130 | 10.8 | ![]() | |
Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | 5 | ![]() |
3.0 | 121,020 | 6.5 | ![]() | |
Progressive Democrats | Mary Harney | 8 | ![]() |
4.8 | 73,628 | 4.0 | ![]() | |
Green | Trevor Sargent | 6 | ![]() |
3.6 | 71,470 | 3.8 | ![]() | |
Socialist Party | Joe Higgins | 1 | ![]() |
0.6 | 14,896 | 0.8 | ![]() | |
Christian Solidarity | 0 | ![]() |
0 | 4,741 | 0.3 | ![]() | ||
Workers' Party | Seán Garland | 0 | ![]() |
0 | 4,012 | 0.2 | ![]() | |
Socialist Workers | N/A | 0 | ![]() |
0 | 3,333 | 0.2 | ![]() | |
Independent | N/A | 13 | ![]() |
7.8 | 176,305 | 9.5 | ![]() | |
Spoilt votes | 20,707 | — | — | |||||
Total | 166 | 0 | 100 | 1,878,609 | 100 | — | ||
Electorate/Turnout | 3,002,173 | 62.6% | — |
- Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats majority coalition government formed.
Democratic Left, which won 4 seats in 1997, merged with the Labour Party in 1999. Independents include Independent Health Alliance candidates (12,296 votes, 1 seat) and Independent Fianna Fáil (6,124 votes, 1 seat).
Voting summary[]
Seats summary[]
Dáil membership changes[]
The following changes took place as a result of the election:
- 22 outgoing TDs retired
- 143 TDs stood for re-election (plus the Ceann Comhairle, Séamus Pattison who was automatically returned)
- 110 of those were re-elected
- 33 failed to be re-elected
- 55 successor TDs were elected
- 47 were elected for the first time
- 8 had previously been TDs
- There were 7 successor female TDs, replacing 6 outgoing, increasing the total number by 1 to 22
- There were changes in 38 of 42 constituencies contested
Outgoing TDs are listed in the constituency they contested in the election. For some, such as Marian McGennis, this differs from the constituency they represented in the outgoing Dáil. Where more than one change took place in a constituency the concept of successor is an approximation for presentation only.
Constituency | Departing TD | Party | Change | Comment | Successor TD | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carlow–Kilkenny | John Browne | Fine Gael | Retired | Nolan – Former TD | M. J. Nolan | Fianna Fáil | ||
Cavan–Monaghan | Andrew Boylan | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Paudge Connolly | Independent | |||
Clare | Brendan Daly | Fianna Fáil | Lost seat | James Breen | Independent | |||
Donal Carey | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Pat Breen | Fine Gael | ||||
Cork East | Paul Bradford | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Sherlock – Former TD | Joe Sherlock | Labour Party | ||
Cork North-Central | Liam Burke | Fine Gael | Retired | Lynch – Former TD | Kathleen Lynch | Labour Party | ||
Cork North-West | Michael Creed | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Gerard Murphy | Fine Gael | |||
Cork South-Central | Deirdre Clune | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Dan Boyle | Green Party | |||
Cork South-West | P. J. Sheehan | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Denis O'Donovan | Fianna Fáil | |||
Donegal North-East | Harry Blaney | Ind. Fianna Fáil | Retired | Niall Blaney | Ind. Fianna Fáil | |||
Donegal South-West | Tom Gildea | Independent | Retired | Gallagher – Former TD | Pat "the Cope" Gallagher | Fianna Fáil | ||
Dublin Central | Jim Mitchell | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Mitchell – FG Deputy Leader. Fitzpatrick – Former TD | Dermot Fitzpatrick | Fianna Fáil | ||
Former TD (took McGennis' seat) | Joe Costello | Labour Party | ||||||
Dublin Mid-West | Austin Currie | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Currie – Former Presidential candidate | Paul Gogarty | Green Party | ||
New constituency, new seat | John Curran | Fianna Fáil | ||||||
Dublin North | Nora Owen | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Owen – Former Minister for Justice | Jim Glennon | Fianna Fáil | ||
Dublin North-Central | Derek McDowell | Labour Party | Lost seat | Finian McGrath | Independent Health Alliance | |||
Dublin North-East | Michael Joe Cosgrave | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Seats reduced from 4 to 3 | ||||
Dublin North-West | Proinsias De Rossa | Labour Party | Retired | Seats reduced from 4 to 3 | ||||
Dublin South | Alan Shatter | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Shatter – Fine Gael Front Bench member | Eamon Ryan | Green Party | ||
Dublin South-Central | Ben Briscoe | Fianna Fáil | Retired | Michael Mulcahy | Fianna Fáil | |||
Marian McGennis | Fianna Fáil | Lost seat | McGennis prev held Dublin Central | Aengus Ó Snodaigh | Sinn Féin | |||
Dublin South-East | Frances Fitzgerald | Fine Gael | Lost seat | McDowell – Former TD | Michael McDowell | Progressive Democrats | ||
Dublin South-West | Brian Hayes | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Seán Crowe | Sinn Féin | |||
Chris Flood | Fianna Fáil | Retired | Charlie O'Connor | Fianna Fáil | ||||
Dublin West | Liam Lawlor | Independent | Retired | Burton – Former TD | Joan Burton | Labour Party | ||
Dún Laoghaire | David Andrews | Fianna Fáil | Retired | Barry Andrews | Fianna Fáil | |||
Seán Barrett | Fine Gael | Retired | Fiona O'Malley | Progressive Democrats | ||||
Monica Barnes | Fine Gael | Retired | Ciarán Cuffe | Green Party | ||||
Galway East | Michael P. Kitt | Fianna Fáil | Lost seat | Joe Callanan | Fianna Fáil | |||
Ulick Burke | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Paddy McHugh | Independent | ||||
Galway West | Bobby Molloy | Progressive Democrats | Retired | Noel Grealish | Progressive Democrats | |||
Kerry North | Denis Foley | Independent | Retired | Tom McEllistrim | Fianna Fáil | |||
Dick Spring | Labour Party | Lost seat | Spring – Former Leader of the Labour Party | Martin Ferris | Sinn Féin | |||
Kerry South | No membership changes | |||||||
Kildare North | No membership changes | |||||||
Kildare South | Alan Dukes | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Dukes – Former Leader of Fine Gael | Seán Ó Fearghaíl | Fianna Fáil | ||
Laois–Offaly | Tom Enright | Fine Gael | Retired | Olwyn Enright | Fine Gael | |||
Charles Flanagan | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Tom Parlon | Progressive Democrats | ||||
Limerick East | Desmond O'Malley | Progressive Democrats | Retired | Former leader of the Progressive Democrats | Tim O'Malley | Progressive Democrats | ||
Eddie Wade | Fianna Fáil | Lost seat | Peter Power | Fianna Fáil | ||||
Limerick West | Michael Finucane | Fine Gael | Lost seat | John Cregan | Fianna Fáil | |||
Longford–Roscommon | Seán Doherty | Fianna Fáil | Retired | Michael Finneran | Fianna Fáil | |||
Louis Belton | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Mae Sexton | Progressive Democrats | ||||
Albert Reynolds | Fianna Fáil | Retired | Reynolds – Former Taoiseach | Peter Kelly | Fianna Fáil | |||
Louth | Brendan McGahon | Fine Gael | Retired | Fergus O'Dowd | Fine Gael | |||
Michael Bell | Labour Party | Lost seat | Arthur Morgan | Sinn Féin | ||||
Mayo | Jim Higgins | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Higgins – Former Chief Whip | Jerry Cowley | Independent | ||
Tom Moffatt | Fianna Fáil | Lost seat | John Carty | Fianna Fáil | ||||
Meath | John V. Farrelly | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Damien English | Fine Gael | |||
Sligo–Leitrim | Matt Brennan | Fianna Fáil | Retired | Jimmy Devins | Fianna Fáil | |||
Gerry Reynolds | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Marian Harkin | Independent | ||||
Tipperary North | Michael O'Kennedy | Fianna Fáil | Retired | Máire Hoctor | Fianna Fáil | |||
Tipperary South | No membership changes | |||||||
Waterford | Austin Deasy | Fine Gael | Retired | John Deasy | Fine Gael | |||
Brendan Kenneally | Fianna Fáil | Lost seat | Ollie Wilkinson | Fianna Fáil | ||||
Westmeath | Mary O'Rourke | Fianna Fáil | Lost seat | Donie Cassidy | Fianna Fáil | |||
Wexford | Hugh Byrne | Fianna Fáil | Lost seat | Tony Dempsey | Fianna Fáil | |||
Michael D'Arcy | Fine Gael | Lost seat | Liam Twomey | Independent | ||||
Ivan Yates | Fine Gael | Retired | Paul Kehoe | Fine Gael | ||||
Wicklow | No membership changes |
A summary of the cross-party seat transfers is:
Lost by | To | Seats | — | Won by | From | Seats |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fine Gael (23) | Fianna Fáil | 7 | Fianna Fáil (9) | Fine Gael | 7 | |
Progressive Democrats | 4 | Independent | 2 | |||
Sinn Féin | 1 | Independent (7) | Fine Gael | 5 | ||
Independent | 5 | Labour Party | 1 | |||
Labour Party | 2 | Fianna Fáil | 1 | |||
Green Party | 4 | Progressive Democrats (4) | Fine Gael | 4 | ||
Labour Party (3) | Sinn Féin | 2 | Sinn Féin (4) | Fine Gael | 1 | |
Independent | 1 | Labour Party | 2 | |||
Independent (3) | Fianna Fáil | 2 | Fianna Fáil | 1 | ||
Labour Party | 1 | Green Party (4) | Fine Gael | 4 | ||
Fianna Fáil (2) | Sinn Féin | 1 | Labour Party (3) | Fine Gael | 2 | |
Independent | 1 | Independent | 1 |
See also[]
- Government of the 29th Dáil
- Members of the 29th Dáil
- Ministers of State of the 29th Dáil
- Members of the 22nd Seanad
Footnotes[]
- ^ Adams sat as the abstentionist MP for Belfast West in the UK Parliament; Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (TD for Cavan-Monaghan) was leader of the party in the Dáil.
References[]
- ^ "29th DAIL GENERAL ELECTION May, 2002 Election Results and Transfer of Votes". oireachtas.ie. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "29th Dáil – General Election: 17 May 2002". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
- ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, pp1009-1017 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
Further reading[]
- Mitchell, Paul (April 2003). "Fianna Fáil still dominant in the coalition era: The Irish general election of May 2002". West European Politics. 26 (2): 174–183. doi:10.1080/01402380512331341171.
External links[]
- 2002 elections in the Republic of Ireland
- 2002 in Irish politics
- General elections in the Republic of Ireland
- 29th Dáil
- May 2002 events in Europe