Irish general elections will be held on November 29, Taoiseach Simon Harris announced yesterday.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Six One News, he said: “It’s my intention then to seek dissolution of the Dáil by President Higgins on Friday and as I would have discussed with the other coalition leaders, it’s my hope that we will have polling day in this country on the 29th of November.”

It will follow the Taoiseach’s return from an informal meeting of the European Council in Budapest.

The announcement kicks off a shortened campaign that will only last a three weeks, and cuts the sitting of the Dáil only a few months before its full five-year maximum term.

Once the dissolution of the Dáil is granted by President Higgins, Minister for Housing and Local Government Darragh O’Brien will set the polling date for November 29.

I will be on @rtenews 6.1 shortly on the US election and our own General Election.

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) November 6, 2024

Harris added that he wanted to wait until the Finance bill was passed before calling the election, saying “I didn’t want to be knocking on people’s doors until we have tax cuts actually passed into law. There’s important work to be carried out in the Dáil and the Seanad today and tomorrow.”

Tánaiste and Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin had previously announced he believed the General Election would be called on Friday.

The Taoiseach also said he wanted to make sure that the coalition government comes to an “amicable end”.

The historic coalition was formed in mid-2020, bringing together Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in an agreement which ended a rivalry dating back to the Civil War.

Simon Harris took on his role as Taoiseach earlier this year after then-Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar decided to step away.

It is believed that housing will be the first big talking point of the campaign, with a live TV debate on Monday night set to feature ­Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien, Public Spending Minister Paschal Donohoe and Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin.