Ireland votes in a close-run election where incumbents hope to cling on to power

Ireland is voting in a parliamentary election that will decide the next government. It also will show whether Ireland bucks the global trend of incumbents being ousted by disgruntled voters. Polls opened Friday at 7 a.m. (0700GMT), and Ireland’s 3.8 million voters are selecting 174 lawmakers to sit in the Dail, the lower house of parliament. The campaign has been dominated by housing and immigration, a major issue in the country of 5.4 million. Analysts say a coalition of the outgoing center-right ruling parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fail is the most likely outcome, but there are many variables and it could take days or weeks to get a government.