The vote comes amid backlash against rising migration and severe housing shortages in Ireland.
ADVERTISEMENTPolling has opened in Ireland for the European Parliament elections, with a record number of far-right candidates on the ballot.
Forteen MEPs will be elected to the EU Parliament, following election campaigning that has been dominated by controversy over rising numbers of asylum seekers and a severe shortage of affordable housing.
The ruling coalition of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party has sought to ward off support for far-right parties by reducing welfare payments some Ukrainian refugees and removing migrant encampments across the country.
Almost two-thirds of voters want tougher controls on immigration, according to an IPSOS poll with the Irish Times.
A proliferation of candidates on the ballot is also expected to split the far-right vote.
But voter frustration with migration appears to have dented the prospects of Sinn Féin, Ireland’s main opposition party.
Polls show the party’s soft stance on migration has reduced their support from 33% in 2022 to just 22% last month, a Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks opinion poll found.
Voting in Ireland follows the Netherlands, which opened its polls on Thursday.
Results there suggest Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom won seven seats in the European Parliament, but was pipped to the post by a Green-Left alliance that won eight.
A far-right surge spearheaded by the anti-Islam Wilders had been predicted.
Final results for the entire EU will be announced in Brussels after polls close Sunday night.
