The next general election may see more political parties than ever competing for seats in the Dáil. Recent statements from TDs and senators indicate that four new parties or political groupings will likely be formed by this summer. This could bring the number of separate campaigning groups to ten or more.
Former Fine Gael minister Lucinda Creighton announced the formation of a new political party along with consumer advocate Eddie Hobbes, while People Before Profit’s Richard Boyd Barrett has said that a new political alliance of the left will soon be formed.
Separately, independent TD Shane Ross will likely form an alliance with other like-minded politicians. These new movements, combined with the rise of Sinn Féin and the return of the Green Party, will make the next general election the most fractious ever. Polls suggest that independents and non-traditional parties will win seats in significant numbers.