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2002 Irish general election

Election to the 29th Dáil


Election to the 29th Dáil

FieldValue
election_name2002 Irish general election
countryIreland
typeparliamentary
ongoingno
previous_election1997 Irish general election
previous_year1997
previous_mps28th Dáil
next_election2007 Irish general election
next_year2007
seats_for_election166 seats in Dáil Éireann
majority_seats84
election_date17 May 2002
elected_mps29th Dáil
image1
leader1Bertie Ahern
leader_since1[19 December 1994](1994-fianna-fail-leadership-election)
party1Fianna Fáil
leaders_seat1Dublin Central
last_election177 seats, 39.3%
seats1**81**
seat_change14
popular_vote1**770,748**
percentage1**41.5%**
swing12.2 pp
image2
leader2Michael Noonan
leader_since2[9 February 2001](2001-fine-gael-leadership-election)
party2Fine Gael
leaders_seat2Limerick East
last_election254 seats, 27.9%
seats231
seat_change223
popular_vote2417,619
percentage222.5%
swing25.4 pp
image3
leader3Ruairi Quinn
leader_since3November 1997
party3Labour Party (Ireland)
leaders_seat3Dublin South-East
last_election317 seats, 12.9%
seats321
seat_change34
popular_vote3200,130
percentage310.8%
swing32.1 pp
image4
leader4Mary Harney
leader_since412 October 1993
party4Progressive Democrats
leaders_seat4Dublin South-West
last_election44 seats, 4.7%
seats48
seat_change44
popular_vote473,628
percentage44.0%
swing40.7 pp
image5
leader5Trevor Sargent
leader_since56 October 2001
party5Green Party (Ireland)
leaders_seat5Dublin North
last_election52 seats, 2.8%
seats56
seat_change54
popular_vote571,470
percentage53.8%
swing51.0 pp
image6
leader6Gerry Adams
leader_since613 November 1983
party6Sinn Féin
leaders_seat6N/A
last_election61 seat, 2.6%
seats65
seat_change64
popular_vote6121,020
percentage66.5%
swing63.9 pp
map_image{{switcher
titleTaoiseach
posttitleTaoiseach after election
before_electionBertie Ahern
before_partyFianna Fáil
after_electionBertie Ahern
after_partyFianna Fáil
turnout62.6% 3.3 pp

| [[File:2002 Irish general election.svg|400px]] | Election results and first-preference votes in each constituency. | [[File:2002 Irish general election, seats per constituency.svg|400px]] | Number of seats gained by each party in each constituency.}} The 2002 Irish general election to the 29th Dáil 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 general election took place in 42 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas, with a revision of constituencies since the last election under the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1998. The outgoing minority Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrat administration was returned with a majority of 10.

The 29th Dáil met at Leinster House on Thursday, 6 June to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a new government of Ireland. Bertie Ahern was re-appointed Taoiseach, forming the 26th government of Ireland, a majority coalition government of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats.

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 single-party government since 1987) and winning the most first-preference votes in every single Dáil constituency. The only high-profile loss was cabinet minister 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. They would not be used again at a general election.

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

{{center{{percentage bar48.866BB66}}}}{{center{{percentage bar18.76699FF}}}}{{center{{percentage bar12.7CC0000}}}}{{center{{percentage bar3.0008800}}}}{{center{{percentage bar4.83333CC}}}}{{center{{percentage bar3.699CC33}}}}{{center{{percentage bar0.6FF3300}}}}
Fianna Fáil}};"**Fianna Fáil**Progressive Democrats}};"**PDs****Inds**Fine Gael}};"**Fine Gael**Labour Party (Ireland)}};"**Labour Party**Green Party (Ireland)}};"**Green Party**Sinn Féin}};"**Sinn Féin**

|seats_% = 48.8 |fpv_% = 41.5 |seats_% = 18.7 |fpv_% = 22.5 |seats_% = 12.7 |fpv_% = 10.8 |seats_% = 3.0 |fpv_% = 6.5 |seats_% = 4.8 |fpv_% = 4.0 |seats_% = 3.6 |fpv_% = 3.8 |seats_% = 0.6 |fpv_% = 0.8 |seats_% = 0.0 |fpv_% = 0.3 |seats_% = 0.0 |fpv_% = 0.2 |seats_% = 0.0 |fpv_% = 0.2 |seats_% = 7.8 |fpv_% = 9.5

Independents include Independent Health Alliance candidates (12,296 votes, 1 seat) and Independent Fianna Fáil (6,124 votes, 1 seat).

Voting summary

Seats summary

Government formation

Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats formed the 26th government of Ireland, a majority coalition government. it is the only coalition government in Irish politics to have been returned after a general election.

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.

ConstituencyDeparting TDPartyChangeCommentSuccessor TDPartyFine Gael}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Labour Party (Ireland)}}"Fine Gael}}"Labour Party (Ireland)}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Green Party (Ireland)}}"Fine Gael}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Independent Fianna Fáil}}"Independent Fianna Fáil}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Labour Party (Ireland)}}"Fine Gael}}"Green Party (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Labour Party (Ireland)}}"Independent Health Alliance}}"Fine Gael}}"Labour Party (Ireland)}}"Fine Gael}}"Green Party (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Sinn Féin}}"Fine Gael}}"Progressive Democrats}}"Fine Gael}}"Sinn Féin}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Labour Party (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Progressive Democrats}}"Fine Gael}}"Green Party (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Progressive Democrats}}"Progressive Democrats}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Labour Party (Ireland)}}"Sinn Féin}}"Fine Gael}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Progressive Democrats}}"Progressive Democrats}}"Progressive Democrats}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Progressive Democrats}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Labour Party (Ireland)}}"Sinn Féin}}"Fine Gael}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fianna Fáil}}"Fine Gael}}"Independent politician (Ireland)}}"Fine Gael}}"Fine Gael}}"
Carlow–KilkennyJohn BrowneFine GaelRetiredNolan – Former TDM. J. NolanFianna Fáil
Cavan–MonaghanAndrew BoylanFine GaelLost seatPaudge ConnollyIndependent
ClareBrendan DalyFianna FáilLost seatJames BreenIndependent
Donal CareyFine GaelLost seatPat BreenFine Gael
Cork EastPaul BradfordFine GaelLost seatSherlock – Former TDJoe SherlockLabour Party
Cork North-CentralLiam BurkeFine GaelRetiredLynch – Former TDKathleen LynchLabour Party
Cork North-WestMichael CreedFine GaelLost seatGerard MurphyFine Gael
Cork South-CentralDeirdre CluneFine GaelLost seatDan BoyleGreen Party
Cork South-WestP. J. SheehanFine GaelLost seatDenis O'DonovanFianna Fáil
Donegal North-EastHarry BlaneyInd. Fianna FáilRetiredNiall BlaneyInd. Fianna Fáil
Donegal South-WestTom GildeaIndependentRetiredGallagher – Former TDPat "the Cope" GallagherFianna Fáil
Dublin CentralJim MitchellFine GaelLost seatMitchell – FG Deputy Leader. Fitzpatrick – Former TDDermot FitzpatrickFianna Fáil
Former TD (took McGennis' seat)Joe CostelloLabour Party
Dublin Mid-WestAustin CurrieFine GaelLost seatCurrie – Former [Presidential](1990-irish-presidential-election) candidatePaul GogartyGreen Party
New constituency, new seatJohn CurranFianna Fáil
Dublin NorthNora OwenFine GaelLost seatOwen – Former Minister for JusticeJim GlennonFianna Fáil
Dublin North-CentralDerek McDowellLabour PartyLost seatFinian McGrathIndependent Health Alliance
Dublin North-EastMichael Joe CosgraveFine GaelLost seatSeats reduced from 4 to 3
Dublin North-WestProinsias De RossaLabour PartyRetiredSeats reduced from 4 to 3
Dublin SouthAlan ShatterFine GaelLost seatShatter – Fine Gael Front Bench memberEamon RyanGreen Party
Dublin South-CentralBen BriscoeFianna FáilRetiredMichael MulcahyFianna Fáil
Marian McGennisFianna FáilLost seatMcGennis prev held Dublin CentralAengus Ó SnodaighSinn Féin
Dublin South-EastFrances FitzgeraldFine GaelLost seatMcDowell – Former TDMichael McDowellProgressive Democrats
Dublin South-WestBrian HayesFine GaelLost seatSeán CroweSinn Féin
Chris FloodFianna FáilRetiredCharlie O'ConnorFianna Fáil
Dublin WestLiam LawlorIndependentRetiredBurton – Former TDJoan BurtonLabour Party
Dún LaoghaireDavid AndrewsFianna FáilRetiredBarry AndrewsFianna Fáil
Seán BarrettFine GaelRetiredFiona O'MalleyProgressive Democrats
Monica BarnesFine GaelRetiredCiarán CuffeGreen Party
Galway EastMichael P. KittFianna FáilLost seatJoe CallananFianna Fáil
Ulick BurkeFine GaelLost seatPaddy McHughIndependent
Galway WestBobby MolloyProgressive DemocratsRetiredNoel GrealishProgressive Democrats
Kerry NorthDenis FoleyIndependentRetiredTom McEllistrimFianna Fáil
Dick SpringLabour PartyLost seatSpring – Former Leader of the Labour PartyMartin FerrisSinn Féin
Kerry SouthNo membership changes
Kildare NorthNo membership changes
Kildare SouthAlan DukesFine GaelLost seatDukes – Former Leader of Fine GaelSeán Ó FearghaílFianna Fáil
Laois–OffalyTom EnrightFine GaelRetiredOlwyn EnrightFine Gael
Charles FlanaganFine GaelLost seatTom ParlonProgressive Democrats
Limerick EastDesmond O'MalleyProgressive DemocratsRetiredFormer leader of the Progressive DemocratsTim O'MalleyProgressive Democrats
Eddie WadeFianna FáilLost seatPeter PowerFianna Fáil
Limerick WestMichael FinucaneFine GaelLost seatJohn CreganFianna Fáil
Longford–RoscommonSeán DohertyFianna FáilRetiredMichael FinneranFianna Fáil
Louis BeltonFine GaelLost seatMae SextonProgressive Democrats
Albert ReynoldsFianna FáilRetiredReynolds – Former TaoiseachPeter KellyFianna Fáil
LouthBrendan McGahonFine GaelRetiredFergus O'DowdFine Gael
Michael BellLabour PartyLost seatArthur MorganSinn Féin
MayoJim HigginsFine GaelLost seatHiggins – Former Chief WhipJerry CowleyIndependent
Tom MoffattFianna FáilLost seatJohn CartyFianna Fáil
MeathJohn V. FarrellyFine GaelLost seatDamien EnglishFine Gael
Sligo–LeitrimMatt BrennanFianna FáilRetiredJimmy DevinsFianna Fáil
Gerry ReynoldsFine GaelLost seatMarian HarkinIndependent
Tipperary NorthMichael O'KennedyFianna FáilRetiredMáire HoctorFianna Fáil
Tipperary SouthNo membership changes
WaterfordAustin DeasyFine GaelRetiredJohn DeasyFine Gael
Brendan KenneallyFianna FáilLost seatOllie WilkinsonFianna Fáil
WestmeathMary O'RourkeFianna FáilLost seatDonie CassidyFianna Fáil
WexfordHugh ByrneFianna FáilLost seatTony DempseyFianna Fáil
Michael D'ArcyFine GaelLost seatLiam TwomeyIndependent
Ivan YatesFine GaelRetiredPaul KehoeFine Gael
WicklowNo membership changes

The cross-party seat transfers are summarized thus:

Party199727th
DáilGain from (loss to)2002Fianna Fáil}};"FFFine Gael}};"FGLabour Party (Ireland)}}; color: white"LabSinn Féin}}; color: white"SFProgressive Democrats}}; color: white"PDGreen Party (Ireland)}};"GrnSocialist Party (Ireland)}}; color: white"SocInd
Fianna Fáil}};"Fianna Fáil77(3)7(1)
Fine Gael}};"Fine Gael54(7)(2)(1)
Labour Party (Ireland)}};"Labour Party212(2)
Sinn Féin}};"Sinn Féin1112
Progressive Democrats}};"Progressive Democrats44
Green Party (Ireland)}};"Green Party24
Socialist Party (Ireland)}};"Socialist Party1
Independents631(2)51(1)
**Total**1662(9)233(3)(4)(4)

Seanad election

The Dáil election was followed by the election to the 22nd Seanad.

Footnotes

References

References

  1. {{cite Irish legislation. (1980). (23 December 1980)
  2. "29th Dáil 2002: Carlow–Kilkenny".
  3. "29th DAIL GENERAL ELECTION May, 2002 Election Results and Transfer of Votes".
  4. "29th Dáil – General Election: 17 May 2002".
  5. (2010). "Elections in Europe: A data handbook". Nomos.
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