What were the challenges faced by the outgoing Govt?

The most fragmented Dáil ever eventually threw up a Government which brought together the two old enemies, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, bolstered by the Green Party.

Born into the pandemic, the early days of the new coalition were spent firefighting the massive repercussions unleashed by Covid.

But over the next four and a half years, the administration would also have to come to grips with a war in Ukraine, increasing numbers of migrants coming to Ireland and spiralling prices leading to a cost of living crisis.

The general election of February 2020 resulted in a near dead heat in seat terms with Fianna Fáil on 38 (including the automatically returned Ceann Comhairle), Sinn Féin on 37 and Fine Gael on 35.

That splintering led to a protracted process of Government formation. Initially Sinn Féin proclaimed it had won the election (on vote share) and embarked on a series of triumphant rallies around the country.

But the euphoria was short lived as it became clear that the numbers would not yield a majority for a Sinn Féin-led left wing government.

This meant that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were thrown together and reluctantly reached an agreed platform which they shopped to smaller parties.

The Green Party took the bait, but set down strict red lines on carbon emission reduction targets and public transport measures.

Agreement was eventually reached on a Programme for Government which was then voted through by the memberships.

And so, a record 140 days after people voted, the 33rd Dáil gathered on 27 June 2020 to vote in Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin as the new Taoiseach.

Parity between the two larger coalition members meant that Ireland would have a novel approach to leading Government with a rotating Taoiseach at the helm.

Fianna Fáil would go first, with the Fine Gael leader to follow midway through the term in December 2022. And Sinn Féin took up the mantle of main opposition party, thrusting its leader and frontbench into the spotlight as never before.

Covid-19

When the pandemic hit Ireland in March 2020, there was no new Government so the old Fine Gael administration continued in a caretaker capacity.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivered a memorable speech from Washington DC warning of what lay ahead.

Draconian laws were passed allowing Ministers to implement previously inconceivable restrictions.

By June, the country had already emerged from the first lockdown, but a mutating virus combined with evolving science meant the new Government had to grapple with constant swift decision making.

Massive spending ensured people's incomes were maintained and businesses were helped through shutdowns, and a new team of scientific and medical advisors encroached on policy with the formation of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

Led by chief medical officer Tony Holohan, the group of unelected individuals wielded huge power.

This became a huge source of friction with Government and anger occasionally spilled over publicly. The relationship hit a low point in October 2020 when then tánaiste Leo Varadkar hit out at NPHET members calling for a severe lockdown.

The push for a meaningful Christmas was followed by increasing deaths as a new strain wreaked havoc.

2021 was dominated by the drive to secure and distribute vaccines. Together with a weaker version of Covid, this meant that life eventually returned to more normality.

Controversies and disagreements

The early days of the Government were marked by public disagreements as the reluctant bedfellows got used to each other.

And there were bigger upsets with the rocky departure of two senior ministers and Ireland's EU Commissioner.

Summer 2020 saw reports of rows at Cabinet, negative briefings and public disagreements on the approach to travel restrictions.

Then the emergence of an old driving offence led to Fianna Fáil minister for agriculture Barry Cowen being sacked.

His Cabinet replacement, Dara Calleary, only lasted 37 days as another larger controversy engulfed the political and judicial systems.

Golfgate became the moniker for a gathering held in Clifden, Co Galway, which appeared to breach the spirit of Covid restrictions.

It unleashed public anger and spread panic in Government as it struggled to contain the controversy.

Mr Calleary resigned quickly, but the fallout continued for several days.

There was a public standoff between the three Government leaders and EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan, who initially refused to step down.

Further revelations though precipitated his resignation and he was replaced by Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness. However, Ireland lost the powerful trade portfolio.

Another attendee, Supreme Court judge and former Attorney General Séamus Woulfe held on after refusing to step down following a public disagreement with the Chief Justice.

A Constitutional crisis was averted when the Government ruled out moving an impeachment motion.

Losses

Dublin Bay South TD Eoghan Murphy surprised everyone by announcing his resignation from the Dáil in 2021.

A by-election in Fine Gael heartland should have been an easy win for the party. But despite throwing massive resources into the campaign, party councillor James Geoghegan lost out to Labour Senator Ivana Bacik.

More losses would follow in 2024 when the Government decided to push ahead with two referendums despite some internal misgivings.

Constitutional amendments on the definition of Family and the role of Care were both comprehensively defeated in March.

Blame settled on a lukewarm campaign and a coalition of opposition to the changes.

Then taoiseach Leo Varadkar conceded the Government got it badly wrong and had received "two wallops".

But Sinn Féin also took a hit for supporting the votes and later reversed its original pledges to rerun the referendums if it were in Government.

Internal wobbles

Several parties had some attrition as various disagreements bubbled up.

In May 2022, Fine Gael Donegal TD Joe McHugh resigned the whip over mica.

Six months later, Fianna Fáil Sligo TD Marc MacSharry left the party in a row over the handling of a bullying complaint against him.

Green Party TDs Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello lost the whip for various spells in rows over refusing to back Government measures, while Junior Minister Joe O'Brien lost speaking rights.

In February 2022, Sinn Féin Clare TD Violet-Anne Wynne resigned from the party amid a welter of recriminations.

More recently, there were acrimonious departures for two more Sinn Féin TDs - Kildare South TD Patricia Ryan and Laois deputy Brian Stanley. All three will stand as independents in the election.

Leadership changes

The biggest shock of the last Government was delivered by former taoiseach Leo Varadkar when he stepped down unexpectedly in March.

A voluntary resignation at the top is a rare phenomenon in politics, but the Dublin West TD simply said he had nothing more left to give and wanted to hand over to a new leader.

This was only 15 months into his second turn at the premiership and he also said he would leave politics at the next election.

His decision sparked expectation of a leadership contest in Fine Gael but minister for higher education Simon Harris swept all before him and ascended to lead the party without a competition.

He became Taoiseach in early April and attacked the role with gusto, traversing the country meeting voters and refreshing his Cabinet team.

Mr Harris' "new energy" appears to have led to a bounce in opinion polls and the party is expected to run a Presidential-style election campaign capitalising on his popularity. This may help to compensate for the exodus of Fine Gael TDs not running again.

In June, the Green Party sprung its own surprise when its leader Eamon Ryan also stepped down.

He cited personal reasons and family responsibilities, but his decision also came after poor results in the local and European elections.

Moreover, the Green brand had become toxic for some and Eamon Ryan was a lightning rod for criticism.

Minister for Children Roderic O'Gorman won the leadership contest over challenger Senator Pippa Hackett.

He has been stressing that the other two parties cannot be trusted to govern on their own.

Migration

Migration is the issue that has filtered down to many towns and villages in Ireland as the country deals with the increasing number of new arrivals.

The war in Ukraine displaced millions and over 100,000 of them have come to Ireland.

At the same time, asylums seeker numbers rose dramatically post-pandemic.

The Government has been grappling with how and where to house people and how much benefits to give them.

Public tensions have boiled over in some areas across the country and with much criticism of the Government's handling and communication on the issue.

Sinn Féin has also found it tricky to find a policy that does not offend some segment of its supporters and the party has been pulled in different directions.

Cost of living

Another consequence of the war in Ukraine and of course Brexit was the rise in inflation.

This has hit consumers and businesses with huge extra costs, especially in energy and food bills.

The Government responded by opening up the State coffers and dispersing a series of extra cost of living payments designed to cushion the blow.

This has resulted in massive spending, largely funded by the continuing healthy tax inflows from multinationals.

Another round of extra payments are landing in bank accounts this month, conveniently coinciding with the election.

Housing

The biggest rolling domestic issue for the Government was undoubtedly housing and this will be the key battleground for the election.

In September 2020, the coalition unveiled its Housing for All plan. However aims to crank up housebuilding were hit by Covid stoppages, price rises and labour shortages.

Four years into the plan, house prices are still rising and rents are up. Meanwhile, homelessness numbers continue to climb to record highs.

Housing was a hot topic at Leaders' Questions in the Dáil with the Government on the backfoot.

The Government's claim to have turned a corner in housing supply will be put under intense scrutiny during the election campaign.

Local and European elections

The local elections in June gave a fillip to Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, with both attracting the most votes on 23% and 22.9% respectively.

Fianna Fáil ended up with the highest number of seats at 248, three ahead of Fine Gael.

Both parties were down on their 2019 results and lost seats, but the expectation was that the losses would be much higher.

Sinn Féin had a disappointing result as its dizzying opinion poll numbers were not repeated at the ballot box and it ended up on 11.8%.

This was a rise on the previous local elections, but it was a serious drop on the 2020 general election results. Leader Mary Lou McDonald acknowledged the poor result and promised to go into listening mode.

The big winners were independent candidates who secured 20.9% of the vote on a diverse range of issues.

The European elections threw up mixed results - gains for Fianna Fáil, and Labour but Fine Gael and the Greens lost seats.

More controversy

Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar found himself the subject of a criminal investigation over his leaking of a copy of a GP contract to a friend.

In the end, no charges were brought and the Standards in Public Office Commission did not open a full investigation.

In late 2020, he faced a no confidence motion in the Dáil which the Government won but he emerged bruised.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe also faced his own problems when it emerged that he had benefitted from free postering in two elections from a supporter.

This had not been declared and Sinn Féin took aim at the Minister.

He apologised, but it took two Dáil statements to fully clarify the matter.

And two Junior Ministers also had to resign their positions - Robert Troy and Damien English.

Other issues

Many other issues commanded the Government's attention, including its dealings with the survivors of Mother and Baby Homes.

There was also a big campaign mounted by homeowners of mica-affected houses who put the coalition under pressure for redress.

Crime loomed large in the capital, especially after the Dublin riots one year ago. This also put a spotlight on Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and her command of her brief.

In the final months of the Government, wasteful public spending came to the fore with revelations of the cost of the Leinster House bike shelter and the new security hub.

Meanwhile, the price tag for the National Children's Hospital stands at €2.2 billion, and counting.