1987 Irish general election

The 1987 Irish general election to the 25th Dáil was held on Tuesday, 17 February, four weeks after the dissolution of the 24th Dáil on 20 January by President Patrick Hillery, on the request of Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald. A continuing crisis over public finance and a rejection of the budget had led to the Labour Party withdrawing from the Fine Gael–led coalition government. The general election took place in 41 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas. There were minor amendments to constituency boundaries under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1983.

1987 Irish general election

← Nov 1982 17 February 1987 1989 →

166 seats in Dáil Éireann[a]
84 seats needed for a majority
Turnout73.3% Increase 0.4pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Charles Haughey, 1990.jpg
Garret FitzGerald 1975 (cropped).jpg
PD
Leader Charles Haughey Garret FitzGerald Desmond O'Malley
Party Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Progressive Democrats
Leader since 7 December 1979 1977 21 December 1985
Leader's seat Dublin North-Central Dublin South-East Limerick East
Last election 75 seats, 45.2% 70 seats, 39.2% New party
Seats before 5
Seats won 81 51 14
Seat change Increase 6 Decrease 19 Increase 14
Popular vote 784,547 481,127 210,583
Percentage 44.2% 27.1% 11.9%
Swing Decrease 1.0% Decrease 12.1% New party

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Dick Spring 1995 (headshot).jpg
MacGiolla cropped.jpg
DSP
Leader Dick Spring Tomás Mac Giolla Jim Kemmy
Party Labour Workers' Party Democratic Socialist
Leader since November 1982 1977 1982
Leader's seat Kerry North Dublin West Limerick East
Last election 16 seats, 9.4% 2 seats, 3.3% 0 seats, 0.4%
Seats won 12 4 1
Seat change Decrease 4 Increase 2 Increase 1
Popular vote 114,551 67,293 7,424
Percentage 6.5% 3.8% 0.4%
Swing Decrease 2.9% Increase 0.5% Steady


Taoiseach before election

Garret FitzGerald
Fine Gael

Taoiseach after election

Charles Haughey
Fianna Fáil

The 25th Dáil met at Leinster House on 10 March to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a new government of Ireland. Charles Haughey was appointed Taoiseach, forming the 20th government of Ireland, a minority single-party Fianna Fáil government.

Campaign

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The 1987 general election was precipitated by the withdrawal of the Labour Party from the Fine Gael–led government on 20 January 1987. The reason was a disagreement over budget proposals. Rather than attempt to press on with the government's agenda, the Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael, Garret FitzGerald, sought a dissolution of the Dáil. An unusually long period of four weeks was set for the campaign.

Fianna Fáil's campaign involved a refusal to make any definite commitments; however, it attempted to convince the electorate that the country would be better under Fianna Fáil. Charles Haughey's attitudes toward Northern Ireland and the Anglo-Irish Agreement were both attacked.[3] However, the campaign was mostly fought on economic issues.

The Labour Party decided against any pre-election pact, particularly with Fine Gael. The Progressive Democrats (PD), founded only two years earlier, surpassed Labour as the third-biggest political party in the Dáil. Although the majority of the PD party consisted of Fianna Fáil defectors, it mainly took seats from Fine Gael.

Results

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Election to the 25th Dáil – 17 February 1987[4][5][6][7][8]
 
Party Leader Seats ± % of
seats
First pref.
votes
% FPv ±%
Fianna Fáil Charles Haughey 81  6 48.8 784,547 44.1  1.1
Fine Gael Garret FitzGerald 51[a]  19 30.1 481,127 27.1  12.1
Progressive Democrats Desmond O'Malley 14  14[b] 8.4 210,583 11.8
Labour Dick Spring 12  4 7.2 114,551 6.4  3.0
Workers' Party Tomás Mac Giolla 4  2 2.4 67,273 3.8  0.5
Sinn Féin Gerry Adams 0 New 0 32,933 1.9
Democratic Socialist Jim Kemmy 1  1 0.6 7,424 0.4 0
Green None 0   0 0 7,159 0.4  0.2
Communist Eugene McCartan 0   0 0 725 0.0 0
Independent N/A 3  1 1.8 70,843 4.0  1.7
Spoilt votes 16,241
Total 166 0 100 1,793,406 100
Electorate/Turnout 2,445,515 73.3%
Notes
  • Independents include Independent Fianna Fáil (7,720 votes, 1 seat) and the Tax Reform League (3,832 votes).
  • Changes in numbers of seats for each party are shown relative to the previous election in November 1982.

Although opinion polls had suggested otherwise, Fianna Fáil once again failed to win an overall majority. The Progressive Democrats did exceptionally well in their first general election, becoming the third-biggest party in the Dáil. Fine Gael lost many seats, mostly to the PDs. The Labour Party fell to its lowest share of the vote since 1933, but managed to salvage 12 seats, more than expected, including that of its leader Dick Spring, who saved his seat by just four votes.

Voting summary

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First preference vote
Fianna Fáil
44.15%
Fine Gael
27.07%
Progressive Democrats
11.85%
Labour
6.45%
Workers'
3.79%
Sinn Féin
1.85%
Others
0.86%
Independent
3.99%

Seats summary

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Dáil seats
Fianna Fáil
48.80%
Fine Gael
30.72%
Progressive Democrats
8.43%
Labour
7.23%
Workers'
2.41%
Democratic Socialist
0.60%
Independent
1.81%

Government formation

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Fianna Fáil formed the 20th government of Ireland, a minority government, with Charles Haughey returning as Taoiseach. Haughey was nominated as Taoiseach with the votes of his own party, the support of Independent Fianna Fáil TD Neil Blaney and the abstention of Independent TD Tony Gregory. That left him with just half of votes cast. Ceann Comhairle Seán Treacy exercised his casting vote in favour of the nomination of Haughey. The Fianna Fáil government of 1987 to 1989 was the last time to date that a government composed only of members of one party has been formed in Ireland.

Dáil membership changes

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The following changes took place at the election:

  • 17 outgoing TDs retired
  • 1 vacant seat at election time
  • 147 outgoing TDs stood for re-election (also Tom Fitzpatrick, the outgoing Ceann Comhairle, who was automatically returned)
    • 127 of those were re-elected
    • 20 failed to be re-elected
  • 38 successor TDs were elected
    • 32 were elected for the first time
    • 6 had previously been TDs
  • There were 6 successor female TDs, with the total remaining unchanged at 14
  • There were changes in 32 of the 41 constituencies contested

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 Dick Dowling Fine Gael Retired Martin Gibbons Progressive Democrats
Cavan–Monaghan John Conlan Fine Gael Lost seat Andrew Boylan Fine Gael
Clare Sylvester Barrett Fianna Fáil Retired De Valera – former TD Síle de Valera Fianna Fáil
Cork East Myra Barry Fine Gael Retired Sherlock – former TD Joe Sherlock Workers' Party
Cork North-Central Toddy O'Sullivan Labour Party Moved O'Sullivan moved to Cork South-Central Máirín Quill Progressive Democrats
Cork North-West No membership changes
Cork South-Central Gene Fitzgerald Fianna Fáil Retired John Dennehy Fianna Fáil
Hugh Coveney Fine Gael Lost seat Batt O'Keeffe Fianna Fáil
Eileen Desmond Labour Party Retired O'Sullivan moved from Cork North-Central Toddy O'Sullivan Labour Party
Cork South-West No membership changes
Donegal North-East No membership changes
Donegal South-West Cathal Coughlan Fianna Fáil Vacant[c] Mary Coughlan Fianna Fáil
Dublin Central Tom Leonard Fianna Fáil Retired Dermot Fitzpatrick Fianna Fáil
Alice Glenn Independent Lost seat Glenn was elected as an FG TD in 1982 John Stafford Fianna Fáil
Dublin North Nora Owen Fine Gael Lost seat G. V. Wright Fianna Fáil
Dublin North-Central No membership changes
Dublin North-East Maurice Manning Fine Gael Lost seat Pat McCartan Workers' Party
Dublin North-West No membership changes
Dublin South Nuala Fennell Fine Gael Lost seat Anne Colley Progressive Democrats
Niall Andrews Fianna Fáil Retired Tom Kitt Fianna Fáil
Dublin South-Central John O'Connell Fianna Fáil Lost seat Mary Mooney Fianna Fáil
Dublin South-East Joe Doyle Fine Gael Lost seat Michael McDowell Progressive Democrats
Dublin South-West Michael O'Leary Fine Gael Retired Chris Flood Fianna Fáil
Dublin West Liam Skelly Fine Gael Lost seat Patrick O'Malley Progressive Democrats
Eileen Lemass Fianna Fáil Retired Lawlor – former TD Liam Lawlor Fianna Fáil
Dún Laoghaire Liam T. Cosgrave Fine Gael Lost seat Geraldine Kennedy Progressive Democrats
Galway East No membership changes
Galway West Fintan Coogan Jnr Fine Gael Lost seat Higgins – former TD Michael D. Higgins Labour Party
Kerry North Tom McEllistrim Fianna Fáil Lost seat Jimmy Deenihan Fine Gael
Kerry South Michael Moynihan Labour Party Lost seat John O'Donoghue Fianna Fáil
Kildare Joseph Bermingham Labour Party Retired Emmet Stagg Labour Party
Laois–Offaly Oliver J. Flanagan Fine Gael Retired Son of outgoing TD Charles Flanagan Fine Gael
Limerick East Tom O'Donnell Fine Gael Lost seat Clohessy – former TD Peadar Clohessy Progressive Democrats
Frank Prendergast Labour Party Lost seat Kemmy – former TD Jim Kemmy Democratic Socialist Party
Limerick West William O'Brien Fine Gael Retired John McCoy Progressive Democrats
Longford–Westmeath Gerry L'Estrange Fine Gael Retired Henry Abbott Fianna Fáil
Louth Pádraig Faulkner Fianna Fáil Retired Dermot Ahern Fianna Fáil
Mayo East No membership changes
Mayo West Paddy O'Toole Fine Gael Lost seat Jim Higgins Fine Gael
Meath Jim Fitzsimons Fianna Fáil Retired Noel Dempsey Fianna Fáil
Roscommon No membership changes
Sligo–Leitrim Joe McCartin Fine Gael Lost seat John Ellis Fianna Fáil
Tipperary North David Molony Fine Gael Retired Michael Lowry Fine Gael
Tipperary South No membership changes
Waterford Edward Collins Fine Gael Lost seat Martin Cullen Progressive Democrats
Donal Ormonde Fianna Fáil Lost seat Brian Swift Fianna Fáil
Wexford Michael D'Arcy Fine Gael Lost seat Brendan Howlin Labour Party
Wicklow Godfrey Timmins Fine Gael Lost seat Joe Jacob Fianna Fáil
Paudge Brennan Fianna Fáil Retired Dick Roche Fianna Fáil

Seanad election

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The Dáil election was followed by an election to the 18th Seanad.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Including Thomas J. Fitzpatrick (FG), returned automatically for Cavan–Monaghan as outgoing Ceann Comhairle, under Art. 16.6 of the Constitution and the Electoral Act 1963, as amended.[1][2]
  2. ^ During the previous Dáil, 4 Fianna Fáil TDs and 1 Fine Gael TD had joined the Progressive Democrats.
  3. ^ Cathal Coughlan died in 1986 but no by-election was held.

References

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  1. ^ Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1980, s. 1: Amendment of section 14 of Electoral Act 1963 (No. 40 of 1980, s. 1). Enacted on 23 December 1980. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
  2. ^ "25th Dáil 1987: Cavan–Monaghan". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  3. ^ Kenny & Keane 1987, p. 37.
  4. ^ "Election results and transfer of votes in general election (February, 1987) for twenty-fifth Dáil and bye-elections to twenty-fourth Dáil (1982–1987)" (PDF). Houses of the Oireachtas. Dublin Stationery Office. July 1987. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  5. ^ "25th Dáil 1987 General Election". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  6. ^ "Dáil elections since 1918". ARK Northern Ireland. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  7. ^ Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (2010). Elections in Europe: A Data Handbook. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft Mbh & Company. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.
  8. ^ "Irish General Elections". Irish Elections. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

Further reading

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