Politicians in the Republic of Ireland will meet for the last time before the three-week general election campaign begins.

On Wednesday, the taoiseach (Irish prime minister) announced that he would attempt to dissolve the 33rd Dáil (lower house of the Irish parliament) on Friday before calling an early election.

Simon Harris, the leader of Fine Gael was The election date would probably be Friday, November 29.

General elections must be called in the Republic of Ireland before the term ends in March 2025.

Harris said she wanted to wait until the finance bill, which enacts the budget changes and contains new tax provisions, was passed before calling the election.

“It was important to do this in a way that was respectful, respectful of the budget process, respectful of the passing of the legislation and also making sure that this coalition government, which has worked well, could come to an amicable end and I think we are “We are now ready to present our case to the people in the coming weeks,” he said on Wednesday.

“I look forward to the coming weeks and will ask the people of Ireland for a mandate.”

Three parties (Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and The Green Party) form the coalition government in the Republic of Ireland.

Voters last went to the polls in February 2020, where Fianna Fáil, led by Micheál Martin, won the most seats (38).

But the party fell short of a majority and entered into negotiations with Fine Gael, which led the then outgoing government, and the Green Party.

A An agreement on a coalition was reached four months later.delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, in June 2020.

This was to be Sinn Féin’s revolutionary election: the moment of truth for the most popular party in the last election four years ago.

Their leader, Mary Lou McDonald, was even considered the future Taoiseach.

But much of that Sinn Féin optimism has faded over the past year.

From the dizzying heights of a post-election poll of around 30 points last time, the party has fallen back to around 18%.

While the polls carry a health warning, they present a pattern that was confirmed in the European and Council elections earlier this year, when Sinn Féin performed poorly.

Since then, the party has struggled to deal with a series of internal controversies and lost two TDs along the way.

The election campaign now allows the party to change the narrative and focus on the key battlefield issues.

They are health, housing, cost of living and immigration.

If the polls are correct, Sinn Féin has a lot of ground to gain against its rivals Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

But a lot can happen in an election campaign that lasts just three weeks.