The leaders of the three largest parties in Ireland have voted in a “close-fought” General Election that could see one of them become the country’s next premier.Current Taoiseach Simon Harris said he expects a “fascinating couple of days” after he submitted his ballot minutes after polling stations opened.

The polls are set to open for the Irish general election. Polling stations will be open between 07:00 and 22:00 local time on Friday to allow voters to choose representatives to serve as Teachtaí Dála (TDs) in the Dáil, the lower house of the Oireachtas (Ireland's parliament).

Some 174 seats across 43 constituencies in Ireland's parliament are being contested. The vote will close at 10pm with counting getting under way on Saturday morning.

Ireland goes to the polls on Friday with the incumbent coalition parties neck-and-neck with opposition party Sinn Fein after a campaign marked by rancour over housing and cost-of-living crises.

As polls in the country’s general election prepare to open on Friday, there are lots of voters who say they feel “frustrated” and “grumpy”. Pressures around housing, immigration and public services have dominated the campaign.