SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Ireland held parliamentary elections yesterday. Officials are now counting the votes, and exit polls suggest it's going to be a very close race among the top political parties. NPR's Fatima Al-Kassab joins us now from Dublin. Thanks so much for being with us.
FATIMA AL-KASSAB, BYLINE: Thanks, Scott.
SIMON: What do we know about the results so far?
AL-KASSAB: So we've got the exit poll, which came out last night just as the polls closed. And that's given us an indication of the vote share. And then vote counting began this morning. The initial suggestion from the exit poll is that Sinn Fein - this is the party that used to be the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, the IRA - has a narrow lead over the two big center parties. That's Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. But it is pretty tight between all three. Turnout also looks to be down on last time. Yesterday was really quite wet and windy. And from the exit poll data, it does look like that affected how many people turned out.
SIMON: And I know you've spoken with voters. What did they tell you that was on their minds?
AL-KASSAB: Yes, so I spoke to voters yesterday outside a polling station in Dublin, and they pretty much all said that the biggest issue for them was housing, no matter their age or background. Here's Valerie Shields (ph).
VALERIE SHIELDS: Housing is the main issue. And there's a lot of families with small children living in guest houses and hotels.
AL-KASSAB: And 24-year-old Owen McNeil (ph) said the same.
OWEN MCNEIL: Housing - like, I have no hope of, like - I mean, well, not no hope, but it's very difficult to get out of, like, the home in Ireland. Like, all of my mates, basically, yeah, live at home with their parents, even the ones in good jobs.
AL-KASSAB: Ireland is actually a very rich country. It's generated a huge income from corporation taxes, which has made it one of the richest in Europe. But people aren't really feeling it. The high cost of living was actually the second-biggest issue for voters, according to the exit poll.
SIMON: And did any of the parties, in particular, campaign on lowering housing prices?
AL-KASSAB: Yeah, housing is the issue that's really helped propel Sinn Fein. In fact, commentators here this morning were saying we can even look at the vote for Sinn Fein as a housing vote, a single-issue vote. And that's especially true among young voters. Sinn Fein has a lot of support among younger voters. And the party has made big gains in recent years because of its promises on housing.
Whatever happens in the next couple of days, it's clear that the days of two parties dominating Irish politics are over. Sinn Fein was on the up in the last election, in 2020, when it surprised everyone, and it won the popular vote. And this time round, it looks like it's confirmed its place at the top with the two traditional parties.
SIMON: When do you think we might get a full picture of the vote?
AL-KASSAB: So we're in for a long weekend of counting votes. It's a system of proportional representation, so it could take some time. Full results are expected by the end of the weekend, but it might not be until next week, potentially even in the new year, till we get a government formed. And that's because there needs to be negotiations about forming a coalition, and that can take some time.
The most likely scenario is that even if Sinn Fein wins the most votes - that's what happened last time - the two big parties - these are the traditional parties that have governed Ireland for over a century, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail - will go into coalition again, although, this time, the exit poll suggests that their vote share is down, so it might actually be harder for them to cobble together a majority.
SIMON: NPR's Fatima Al-Kassab, from Dublin. Thanks so much for being with us.
AL-KASSAB: Thanks, Scott.
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