Over the past three days, the Republic of Ireland has been counting votes from its snap general election and the results might seem like something of a paradox. The Irish electorate remains clearly disillusioned with its political ‘elite’,

Most recent elections around the West have seen voters punish incumbents for rising inflation and the end of pandemic-era support programs. Ireland’s election last Friday was thus something of a relief for ruling parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

At one level, the vote was an endorsement of continuity, but the stability in Ireland’s political center ground masked volatility on the fringes.