The 1923 Irish general election to elect the 4th Dáil was held on Monday, 27 August, following the dissolution of the Third Dáil on 9 August 1923. It was the first general election held since the establishment of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922. The election was held shortly after the end of the Irish Civil War in May 1923. Many of the RepublicanTDs, who represented the losing anti-Treaty side, were still imprisoned during and after the election and had committed to not participating in the Dáil if elected.
It was the first general election fought since the establishment of the Irish Free State and the adoption of the Constitution of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922. It was contested under the Electoral Act 1923, which increased the seats in the Dáil from 128 to 153, and introduced a franchise of all citizens over the age of 21, without distinction of sex. Lax electoral practices were tightened up by The Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act 1923.[2]
Most parties made gains, in part because the total number of seats in the Dáil was increased by 25 from 128 to 153.
Voting summary
First preference vote
Cumann na nGaedheal
38.97%
Republican
27.40%
Farmers'
12.07%
Labour
10.62%
Businessman's
0.92%
Cork Progressive Association
0.63%
Others
1.26%
Independent
8.15%
Seats summary
Dáil seats
Cumann na nGaedheal
41.18%
Republican
28.76%
Farmers'
9.80%
Labour
9.15%
Businessman's
1.31%
Cork Progressive Association
1.31%
Independent
8.50%
Government formation
The Republican TDs continued to abstain from the Dáil. Therefore, Cumann na nGaedheal had a majority of seats which were taken in the Dáil and formed the 2nd Executive Council of the Irish Free State on 19 September 1923.
^Hopkinson, Michael (1988). Green Against Green: The Irish Civil War. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. p. 262. ISBN0-7171-3760-0. Despite the absence of many Sinn Féin candidates and workers in jail, the results were surprising good for the Republicans. Cumann na nGaedheal, the newly formed government party, had 63 candidates elected, compared with 44 Republicans.
Callinan, Elaine; Farrell, Mel; Tormey, Thomas (September 2023). Vying for Victory: The 1923 General Election in the Irish Free State. University College Dublin Press. ISBN978-1-910820-70-4.