February 1982 Irish general election

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166 seats inDáil Éireann[a] 84 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	73.8% 2.4pp
First party Second party   Leader Charles Haughey Garret FitzGerald Party Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Leader since 7 December 1979 1977 Leader's seat Dublin North-Central Dublin South-East Last election 78 seats, 45.3% 65 seats, 36.5% Seats won 81 63 Seat change 3 2 Popular vote 786,851 621,088 Percentage 47.3% 37.3% Swing 2.0 pp 0.8 pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Michael O'Leary Tomás Mac Giolla Party Labour Sinn Féin The Workers' Party Leader since 1981 1977 Leader's seat Dublin Central N/A Last election 15 seats, 9.9% 1 seat, 1.7% Seats won 15 3 Seat change 2 Popular vote 151,875 38,088 Percentage 9.1% 2.3% Swing 0.8 pp 0.6 pp
Election results and first-preference votes in each constituency. Number of seats gained by each party in each constituency.
Taoiseach before election Garret FitzGerald Fine Gael Taoiseach after election Charles Haughey Fianna Fáil

TheFebruary 1982 Irish general election to the23rd Dáil was held on Thursday, 18 February, three weeks after thedissolution of the22nd Dáil on 27 January byPresidentPatrick Hillery on the request ofTaoiseachGarret FitzGerald on the defeat of the government's budget. The general election took place in 41Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats inDáil Éireann, the house of representatives of theOireachtas.

The 23rd Dáil met atLeinster House on 9 March to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a newgovernment of Ireland.Charles Haughey was appointed Taoiseach, forming the18th government of Ireland, a minority single-partyFianna Fáil government.

The first general election of 1982 was caused by the sudden collapse of theFine Gael–Labour Party coalition government when the budget was defeated. TheMinister for Finance,John Bruton, attempted to putVAT on children's shoes. This measure was rejected byJim Kemmy, a left-wing independentTeachta Dála, andJoe Sherlock ofSinn Féin The Workers' Party.^[3]

On 27 January 1982TaoiseachGarret FitzGerald sought an immediate dissolution of the Dáil following the collapse of his minority government. While FitzGerald met with PresidentPatrick Hillery atÁras an Uachtaráin, several Fianna Fáil members (including party leader Charles Haughey and former Foreign MinisterBrian Lenihan Snr) attempted to contact the president. Their aim was to persuade Hillery to deny the dissolution, which would have forced FitzGerald to resign and allowed the Dáil to nominate a new Taoiseach, paving the way for Haughey’s potential return to office.^[3]

The attempts to influence Hillery were unconstitutional, as the president is bound to act only on the advice of the Taoiseach in such matters and must otherwise act independently under the constitutional principle of "as a chomhairle féin" or "under his own counsel". Hillery, angered by the interference, rejected the overtures. Allegations later emerged that Haughey had threatened Hillery’s aide-de-camp, Captain Anthony Barber, after being denied access to the president.^[3]

Ultimately, Hillery upheld his constitutional obligations and granted FitzGerald the dissolution, triggering a general election campaign. In a protective gesture, Hillery ordered a note to be placed on Barber’s service record to shield him from potential retribution.^[3]

The campaign was dominated by economic issues, with all parties downplaying the necessity of spending cuts despite the country’s severe fiscal challenges. Fianna Fáil, under Charles Haughey, initially dismissed the need forausterity, presenting policies focused on increasing disposable income for families. Their message resonated with voters, earning headlines such as "FF’s family budget" in theEvening Echo on February 12. However, as the campaign progressed, the need for more realistic measures became evident, and Fianna Fáil pivoted towards policies resembling those already implemented by Fine Gael during its time in office. Garret FitzGerald, leading Fine Gael, criticised Fianna Fáil’s initial proposals as "myopic".^[3]

The election results revealed a closely fought contest. Although Fianna Fáil won the largest number of seats, securing 81 out of the 84 needed for a majority, the outcome was not decisive. The Evening Echo in Cork reflected the tight result with the headline "Trend to FF, but FG fight back".^[3]

Election to the 23rd Dáil – 18 February 1982[4][5][6][7]
Party		Leader	Seats	±	% of seats	First pref. votes	% FPv	±%
	Fianna Fáil	Charles Haughey	81	+3	48.8	786,951	47.3	+2.0
	Fine Gael	Garret FitzGerald	63	–2	38.0	621,088	37.3	+0.8
	Labour	Michael O'Leary	15	0	9.0	151,875	9.1	–0.8
	Sinn Féin The Workers' Party	Tomás Mac Giolla	3	+2	1.8	38,088	2.3	+0.6
	Sinn Féin	Ruairí Ó Brádaigh	0	New	0	16,894	1.0	–
	Irish Republican Socialist		0	New	0	2,716	0.2	–
	Communist		0	0	0	462	0.0	0
	Independent	N/A	4[a]	0	2.4	46,059	2.8	–0.9
Spoilt votes						14,367	—	—
Total			166	0	100	1,678,500	100	—
Electorate/Turnout						2,275,450	73.8%	—

Independents includeIndependent Fianna Fáil (11,732 votes, 1 seat).

Fianna Fáil emerged out of the election as the largest party and appeared most likely to form a government. However, internal divisions within the party threatened Charles Haughey’s bid for Taoiseach. Despite speculation about a potential leadership challenge byDesmond O'Malley, which ultimately failed to materialise, Haughey was confirmed as the party's nominee. To secure the necessary support for his return to office, Fianna Fáil struck a deal with socialist TDTony Gregory, Independent Fianna Fáil TDNeil Blaney, and the three Sinn Féin The Workers' Party deputies, includingJoe Sherlock. With this backing, Haughey was appointed Taoiseach, allowing Fianna Fáil to form a government, the18th Government of Ireland.^[3]

The following changes took place as a result of the election:

• 7 outgoing TDs retired
• 1 vacant seat at election time
• 157 outgoing TDs stood for re-election (alsoJohn O'Connell, the outgoingCeann Comhairle, who was automatically returned)
  • 136 of those were re-elected
  • 21 failed to be re-elected
• 29 successor TDs were elected
  • 21 were elected for the first time
  • 8 had previously been TDs
• There was 1 successor female TD, who replaced 4 outgoing; thus the total decreased by 3 to 8.
• There were changes in 26 of 41 constituencies

Where more than one change took place in a constituency the concept of successor is an approximation for presentation only.

The Dáil election was followed by an election to the16th Seanad.

• February 1982 election: Party leaders' debate RTÉ archives

• Nealon, Ted;Brennan, Séamus (eds.).Nealon's guide: 23rd Dáil & Seanad: election '82. Platform Press.ISBN 0950598445.

• 1982 elections in the Republic of Ireland
• 1982 in Irish politics
• General elections in the Republic of Ireland
• 23rd Dáil
• February 1982 in Europe

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