Irish presidential election, 1945

Irish presidential election, 1945

14 June 1945

Turnout 63.0%   Nominee Seán T. O'Kelly Seán Mac Eoin Patrick McCartan Party Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Independent First preference vote 537,965 335,539 212,834 First preference percentage 49.5% 30.9% 19.6% Final count 565,165 453,425 Final percentage 55.5% 44.5%

President before election Douglas Hyde Independent Elected President Seán T. O'Kelly Fianna Fáil

The Irish presidential election of 1945 was held on 14 June 1945. It was Ireland's first contested presidential election. With the decision of the outgoing president Douglas Hyde not to seek a second term, Fianna Fáil decided to nominate its deputy leader, the Tánaiste Seán T. O'Kelly as its candidate. Independent republican Patrick McCartan sought and failed to receive the necessary four nominations from local councils. Expecting that McCartan would fail, the main opposition Fine Gael party decided at the last moment to run a candidate, choosing Seán Mac Eoin. However McCartan finally managed to get a nomination from twenty members of the Oireachtas, producing an unexpected three candidate race.

In the election, O'Kelly as expected won on the second count. However the degree of voting transfers between the two opposition candidates, and O'Kelly's failure to win on the first count, showed the depth of growing opposition to Éamon de Valera's government and the potential that existed for cooperation among various opposition groups. De Valera's government was defeated in the subsequent 1948 general election and replaced by an Inter-Party government from the opposition. In some ways, the First Inter-Party Government born in 1948 was conceived due to the results of the 1945 presidential election.

Result

City and County results

See also

• President of Ireland

References

Elections and referendums in the Republic of Ireland General elections 1918 1921 1922 1923 1927 (Jun) 1927 (Sep) 1932 1933 1937 1938 1943 1944 1948 1951 1954 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1982 (Feb) 1982 (Nov) 1987 1989 1992 1997 2002 2007 2011 Next By-elections Seanad elections 1925 Presidential elections 1938 1945 1952 1959 1966 1973 1974 1976 1983 1990 1997 2004 2011 European elections 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 Local elections 1899 1902 1905 1908 1911 1914 1920 1925 1928 1934 1942 1945 1950 1955 1960 1967 1974 1979 1985 1991 1999 2004 2009 2014 Referendums 1937 1959 1968 1972 (May) 1972 (Dec) 1979 1983 1984 1986 1987 1992 (Jun) 1992 (Nov) 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 (Mar) 2002 (Oct) 2004 2008 2009 2011 2012 (May) 2012 (Nov) 2013 2015 See also: Elections in the Kingdom of Ireland Elections in Ireland as part of the UK Elections in Northern Ireland