This is your home for the Presidential Election 2025.
When is polling day?
On Friday 24 October, voters will cast their ballots to elect the tenth president of Ireland.
Douglas Hyde first took up the role in June 1938, and he was followed by Seán T O'Kelly, 1945-1959; Éamon de Valera, 1959-1973; Erskine Childers, 1973-1974; Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, 1974-1976; Patrick Hillery, 1976-1990; Mary Robinson 1990-1997; Mary McAleese, 1997-2011 and Michael D Higgins' 14-year term as President of Ireland will come to an end in November.
The new president, after swearing the oath, will officially take up residence at Áras an Uachtaráin.
Who is seeking the presidency?
Three candidates will be on the ballot - the smallest field in a presidential election since 1990.
Independent TD Catherine Connolly was the first to secure the required support for a bid. She has been backed by a coalition of left-wing parties - People Before Profit-Solidarity, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party, the Green Party and Sinn Féin.
Heather Humphreys is the Fine Gael candidate after she secured the backing of Fine Gael TDs, senators and MEPs.
Former Dublin GAA manager Jim Gavin defeated MEP Billy Kelleher in an internal Fianna Fáil vote to become that party's candidate.
Potential candidates had two potential pathways to get on the ballot - with the support of at least 20 members of the Oireachtas (TDs and senators) or else with the backing of at least four local authorities (county or city councils).
Both routes were keenly watched - but, in the end, no other hopeful secured enough support to get on the ballot.
If a former or outgoing president wants to run for a second seven-year term, they can nominate themselves. However, once that second term ends, the president must depart the role as the Constitution states that no one can stay for more than two terms.
Price of a presidential run
Under the rules of the Electoral Act 1997, the spending limit for a candidate in a presidential election is €750,000.
A candidate can have up to €200,000 reimbursed to them if they are elected or if they get more than 25% of the quota in proportional representation voting.
All spending by a candidate must be accounted for by the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO).
From individual donors, all donations above €600 must be disclosed on a SIPO donation statement.
€1,000 is the maximum donation that can be accepted by a candidate from an individual or corporate donor. For political donations of €100, a political donations account must be opened by a candidate.
€200 is the maximum cash donation that can be accepted by a candidate from a donor.
Corporate donors can donate a maximum of €200 unless the corporate donor is registered in SIPO's Register of Corporate Donors.
Anonymous donations of over €100 cannot be accepted.
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Who can vote for president?
To vote, a person must be an Irish citizen and be 18 or older by the time of polling day.
They must be ordinarily resident of Ireland and registered to vote. The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday 7 October.
Everyone has been reminded to check the register and ensure they are registered to vote in time, particularly the 60,000 young people who have turned 18 since last year's general election.
Most voters have to vote in person at an official polling station, however special arrangements can also be made for postal voting arrangements.
According to An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the independent electoral commission, if your job makes it likely that you will be unable to vote in person on polling day, you can apply for postal vote.
People can be certified by their employer as being unable to vote in their home polling station due to work commitments.
You will have to be quick to apply, however, as the deadline for postal voting arrangements is Monday 29 September, and applications can only be submitted by post.
The relevant forms to apply for a postal vote are available to download from the Check the Register website or your local authority.
People who can be eligible for postal votes include:
- Members of An Garda Síochána or Defence Forces
- Irish diplomats serving abroad and their spouses/partners
- Those who are unable to vote in person at their local polling station because of an illness or disability
- Electors whose occupation, service or employment makes it likely that they will be unable to vote in person on polling day
- Full-time students registered at their home who are living elsewhere while attending an educational institution in the State
- Anonymous electors or members of the household of the person whose safety would be at risk if their name and address were published on the register of electors
Looking for your #1
On 24 October, voting will be by secret ballot at polling stations across the country from the hours of 7am until 10pm.
Voting is based on the proportional representation by a single transferable vote system.
On arrival at the polling station, the voter gets a ballot paper by stating their name and address.
They may be required to show a form of ID, and if they fail to do so or the presiding officer is not satisfied the ID relates to the elector, they will not be permitted to vote.
Once the presiding officer is satisfied, a ballot paper is stamped with an official mark and handed to the elector.
The voter then enters a voting compartment and indicates the order of their choice by writing '1' in the box opposite the name of their first choice.
If the voter just wants to vote for one candidate, the remaining boxes can be left blank. However, if they wish they can write '2' opposite the name of their second choice and '3' opposite the name of their third choice.
The voter then folds the ballot paper to conceal how it has been marked and places it in a sealed ballot box.
The count
Counting begins 9am on the day after polling day, so for this election, the count will commence on the morning of Saturday 25 October.
The ballot boxes are opened and the papers are sorted according to first preference votes. The number of first preference votes recorded for each candidate is notified to the returning officer, who then calculates the quota.
As a single position has to be filled, the quota is 50% of valid votes plus one. If a candidate receives a number of votes equal to or greater than the quota, they are declared elected.
If no candidate reaches the quota, the candidate with the lowest number of first preferences is excluded and their votes are transferred to their next preference.
The process of excluding candidates and transferring their votes continues until one of the candidates has sufficient votes to be deemed elected.
A result could be known as early as Saturday evening but a second count would see a result potentially late into the night or perhaps Sunday.
A new president
The new president will be inaugurated at a ceremony that typically begins at lunchtime the following day, so, technically speaking, Ireland will be without a president for a number of hours.
Every inauguration ceremony in the history of the State has taken place in St Patrick's Hall in Dublin Castle.
Traditionally, the president-elect's motorcade arrives at the castle through the Cork Hill gate around midday and is greeted by the Tánaiste on arrival.
Inside, on a stage, the president-elect administers the oath and is then formally sworn into office by the Irish Chief Justice, a position currently held by Donal O'Donnell.
An address by the Taoiseach normally follows before the newly elected president gives their maiden speech.
The national anthem is then traditionally played by the Army Band No.1 as the president leaves and heads for Áras an Uachtaráin.
What does the president do?
The president is the country's Head of State, who represents Irish people both at home and abroad in a ceremonial role.
They can receive other heads of state to Áras an Uachtaráin, while also undertaking state visits to other countries.
The president also has the power to pass or reject any bills passed by the Dáil and Seanad. This means no legislation becomes law until the president formally signs it.
The president also formally appoints a government, the Taoiseach on the nomination of the Dáil, and cabinet ministers on the nomination of the Taoiseach.
They also have the power to request to speak to the Dáil and Seanad, as well as the wider public in a national address on issues of genuine public interest.
The president also serves as the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
Who that next president will be is to be decided by you, the voter, on Friday 24 October.
Watch: What does the President of Ireland actually do?
