As Ireland heads to the polls, Elon Musk has taken to social media to urge voters to “vote for freedom.” The X CEO, known for clashing with Ireland’s government over proposed hate speech laws, shared a video from commentator Michael O’Keeffe calling on citizens to “take our country back.”
Musk added, “The people of Ireland will vote for freedom,” alongside an Irish flag emoji.
Independent Senator Sharon Keogan echoed Musk’s sentiment, warning that Fine Gael, a member of the European People’s Party, is “afraid of the truth” and aims to “jail you for the things they find offensive.” She called on voters to reject establishment parties pushing “woke policies and ideologies that harm women and children” and to prioritize independent candidates instead.
Keogan’s call might resonate with many, as recent polls show up to one-third of voters leaning toward independents and smaller parties. Immigration has become a hot-button issue, with most mainstream parties favoring open borders despite growing public demand for stricter controls.
Despite this push for change, polls predict another coalition government led by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, possibly with Labour or the Social Democrats as junior partners. However, there’s an outside chance of Sinn Féin pulling off a left-wing upset. After losing some working-class support due to its immigration stance, the party’s popularity has rebounded, putting it just one percentage point behind Fianna Fáil in the latest Ipsos poll.
Polls close at 10 p.m. local time, with an exit poll expected shortly after. But don’t hold your breath—thanks to Ireland’s single transferable vote system, final results could take several days, just like the lengthy count for the country’s June European Parliament election.
