The conservative Fianna Fáil party has secured a narrow victory in the recent Irish parliamentary elections, winning 48 seats in the Dáil Éireann. However, to form a government, the party must negotiate coalitions with other parties, as a majority requires 88 seats. Sinn Féin came in second with 39 seats, and Fine Gael, led by Simon Harris, secured 38 seats. Coalition talks, potentially involving the Social Democrats or the Labour Party, are expected to be protracted, with a new government unlikely to be in place before Christmas.