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Irish general election, September 1927
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The Irish general election of September 1927 was held on September 15, 1927. The newly elected members of the 6th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on October 11 when the new President and Executive Council of the Irish Free State were appointed.
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The second general election of 1927 was caused by the uncertain political arithmetic within Dáil Éireann. Only three votes separated the two largest parties, Cumann na nGaedhael and Fianna Fáil. It looked as if the government could collapse at any moment. When Fianna Fáil decided to enter the Dáil in August the party and its allies immediately put down a motion of no confidence in the Cumann na nGaedhael government. Fianna Fáil was supported by the Labour Party and the National League Party. On the other hand the Cumann na nGaedhael government had the backing of the Farmers' Party and most of the Independent TDs. When the vote was taken, John Jinks, a National League TD failed to attend. As a result the vote was a dead heat and the Ceann Comhairle voted with the government. The motion had failed.
W. T. Cosgrave realised that this situation could not continue and a general election was called in the hope of providing a clear result. The election was fought by a number of parties, each with their own different message. Cumann na nGaedhael was fighting the election on its record in government so far. Fianna Fáil was the new party on the scene with new policies and the promise of self-sufficiency. The Labour Party had done well on its last outing and was hoping, and was predicted, to win extra seats, in spite of internal divisions. The Farmers' Party represented the needs of agricultural labourers. Sinn Féin, whose electoral hopes had been diminished with the setting up of Fianna Fáil, did not contest a single seat.
| 6th Irish General Election – 15 September 1927 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Leader | # of Seats |
Gains/ Losses |
% of Dáil |
% of Votes |
||
| Cumann na nGaedhael | W. T. Cosgrave | 61 | +15 | 39.8 | |||
| Fianna Fáil | Éamon de Valera | 57 | +13 | 37.3 | |||
| Labour Party | Thomas Johnson | 13 | -9 | 8.5 | |||
| Farmers' Party | Michael Heffernan | 6 | -5 | 3.9 | |||
| National League Party | William Redmond | 2 | -6 | 1.3 | |||
| Irish Worker League | James Larkin | 1 | N/A | 0.6 | |||
| Sinn Féin | John J. O'Kelly | 0 | -5 | 0 | |||
| Independents | 12 | -3 | 7.8 | ||||
| Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) | 1 | - | 0.7 | - | |||
| Totals | 153 | 0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |||
| Cumann na nGaedhael minority government formed. | |||||||
Following the general election Cumann na nGaedhael were able to form a government with the support of the Farmer's Party and other Independent TDs. The Labour leader, Thomas Johnson, lost his seat in the election and subsequently retired from politics.
- James J. Walsh
- Austin Stack
- Kathleen Clarke (Lost seat)
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