By Rebecca Black, PA
More than half of the Irish public want a general election this month, a poll has indicated.
While the current Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil/Green Party coalition can continue until early 2025, there has been speculation the next general election may be called sooner.
Taoiseach Simon Harris and his Fine Gael party are continuing to ride high in the polls, with the latest Sunday Independent/Ireland Think poll indicating he has the highest party leader support level on 53 per cent, while Fine Gael support is at 26 per cent.
Mr Harris said on Friday the next election will come “in due course”, while Tánaiste Micheal Martin on Saturday said the three party leaders have said they want to go “the full distance”.
Mr Martin said there are a number of Bills the Government wants to make progress on, including the Finance Bill, social protection measures, Mental Health Bill, Defamation Bill, Gambling Bill and the Planning Bill.
The poll found 55 per cent of those surveyed want an election to be held this month or next, while 56 per cent predict the polls will open in November.
Meanwhile, three-quarters of respondents believe the Government was trying to “buy” the election with last week’s Budget, and 71 per cent agreed with concerns from the Irish Fiscal Council that the spending review has put the country at risk of repeating past mistakes.
Some 61 per cent of Fianna Fáil supporters, 46 per cent of Fine Gael supporters and 96 per cent of Sinn Féin supporters felt the Budget was an attempt to “buy” the election.
In terms of party strengths, the poll indicates Fine Gael has moved up one point to 26 per cent support, Fianna Fáil is down two to 19 per cent and Sinn Féin is up one point to 19 per cent.
Of the smaller parties, the Social Democrats were up two percentage points to 6 per cent, Labour up one point to 5 per cent and Aontú up one point to 4 per cent.
There was no change for the Green Party or People Before Profit-Solidarity, and the poll found independents and others are down three points to 16 per cent.
While Mr Harris is still leading the party leader's approval ratings at 53 per cent, Fianna Fáil’s Mr Martin is on 50 per cent, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has 40 per cent support and Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald is on 34 per cent.
