1945 Irish presidential election

none November 2021 November 2021 1945 Irish presidential election Ireland presidential no 1938 Irish presidential election 1938 1952 Irish presidential election 1952 63.0% 1st preference Final count 14 June 1945 Sean T O'Kelly, 1949.jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Seán T. O'Kelly Fianna Fáil 537,96549.5% 565,16555.5% Seán Mac Eoin 1945 presidential election poster (cropped).png 120 120 160 0 0 Seán Mac Eoin Fine Gael 335,53930.9% 453,42544.5% Patrick McCartan.jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Patrick McCartan Independent politician (Ireland) Labour Party Clann na Talmhan 212,83419.6% Eliminated File:Irish presidential election 1945.png 200px First count winner by local authority President Douglas Hyde Independent politician (Ireland) Seán T. O'Kelly Fianna Fáil thumb|Poster for Seán Mac Eoin The 1945 Irish presidential election was held on Thursday, 14 June 1945. It was Ireland's first contested presidential election. Outgoing president Douglas Hyde, who had served since 1938, did not seek a second term. Fianna Fáil nominated its deputy leader, Tánaiste Seán T. O'Kelly, as its candidate. Fine Gael nominated Seán Mac Eoin. Independent republican Patrick McCartan sought and failed to receive the necessary four nominations from local councils, but secured a nomination from Oireachtas members. O'Kelly won on the second count but 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 succeeded by the first inter-party government. The election took place on the same date as the 1945 local elections. Electoral law was amended to allow administrative counties and county boroughs to be used as constituencies instead of using Dáil constituencies, as previously required. This was to facilitate sorting and counting of ballots with ballots for the local elections.1945 15 6 Presidential and Local Elections Act 1945 1 May 1945 11 May 2019 11 May 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190511113149/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1945/act/15/section/6/enacted/en/html livePresidential and Local Elections Bill, 1945—Second and Subsequent Stages https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/1945-04-25/3/ Seanad Debates 29 6 Houses of the Oireachtas 14 September 2018 en-ie 25 April 1945 15 September 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180915001940/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/1945-04-25/3/ live Nomination process Under Article 12 of the Constitution of Ireland, candidates could be nominated by: at least twenty of the 198 serving members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, or at least four of 31 councils of the administrative counties, including county boroughs, or themselves, in the case of a former or retiring president. All Irish citizens on the Dáil electoral register were eligible to vote. The first candidate nominated was Seán Mac Eoin, a Fine Gael TD who was nominated on 5 May by 17 members of his own party, as well as three independent TDs, Alfie Byrne, Tom O'Reilly and Richard Anthony.First nomination for the presidency 7 May 1945 The Irish Times Seán T. O'Kelly was nominated by Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members on 15 May. On the date before nominations closed on 16 May, the administrative council of the Labour Party voted to allow its Oireachtas members to sign the nomination form of Patrick McCartan, and Clann na Talmhan voted that its Oireachtas members would sign his nomination form, together guaranteeing his position on the ballot.Dr McCartan secures nomination 16 May 1945 The Irish Times Result 1945 Irish presidential election14 June 1945 Presidential election Presidential Election Returning Officer 29 January 2025 https://www.presidentialelection.ie/1945-presidential-election/index.html 21 October 2025 2 Seán T. O'Kelly Fianna Fáil Oireachtas: Fianna Fáil 49.5 537,965 565,165 Seán Mac Eoin Fine Gael Oireachtas: Fine Gael and Independents 30.9 335,539 453,425 Patrick McCartan Independent politician (Ireland) Oireachtas: Labour Party and Clann na Talmhan 19.6 212,834   2 1,803,463 1,086,338 50,287 (4.4%) 543,170 63.0% First preference vote #ddd 600px 410px O'Kelly Fianna Fáil 49.5 Mac Eoin Fine Gael 30.9 McCartan Independent politician 19.6 Final percentage #ddd 600px 410px O'Kelly Fianna Fáil 55.5 Mac Eoin Fine Gael 44.5 Results by local authority Results were announced by county councils and county borough corporations rather than by constituency.https://www.presidentialelection.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/presidential-elections-1938-to-2018.pdf#page=22 Presidential Elections 1938–2018 Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government 20–23 Presidential Election Returning Officer + First count votesLocal AuthorityO'KellyMac EoinMcCartanVotes%Votes%Votes%Carlow County6,17846.765,19739.331,83813.91Cavan County14,50049.2911,88340.403,03210.31Clare County22,91057.7310,79627.205,97915.07Cork County49,73744.0938,91134.4924,16321.42Cork County Borough13,87550.259,02532.684,71417.07Donegal County24,99954.3813,13728.587,83417.04Dublin County16,20643.0011,66530.959,81526.04Dublin County Borough70,77745.9439,27325.4944,02728.57Galway County32,49657.6612,71322.5611,15319.79Kerry County20,58956.777,18019.808,50023.44Kildare County11,42654.116,73131.882,95814.01Kilkenny County13,43753.608,15832.543,47613.86Laois County8,94645.855,68329.124,88425.03Leitrim County8,06439.529,34445.802,99514.68Limerick County22,72555.8813,18332.424,75811.70Limerick County Borough9,31856.184,73128.522,53815.30Longford County5,84835.0910,17061.036463.88Louth County13,68549.329,39533.864,66816.82Mayo County27,26050.0814,67226.9512,50522.97Meath County14,08358.026,78427.953,40614.03Monaghan County13,04254.386,87828.684,06216.94Offaly County10,58053.135,19926.114,13620.77Roscommon County15,35447.6211,74736.435,14015.94Sligo County10,28839.7212,02646.433,59013.86Tipperary North County12,47752.097,53031.443,94616.47Tipperary South County15,94050.4510,49933.235,15516.32Waterford County10,98058.855,19827.862,48113.30Waterford County Borough5,89852.193,26728.912,13518.89Westmeath County10,30347.529,74144.931,6367.55Wexford County16,38046.8710,08228.858,48824.29Wicklow County9,66442.804,74121.008,17636.21 Total537,96549.52335,53930.89212,83419.59 + Second count resultLocal AuthorityO'KellyMac EoinVotes%Votes%Carlow County6,61552.416,00747.59Cavan County15,01052.8213,40647.18Clare County23,66863.0013,90237.00Cork County52,35049.8452,68850.16Cork County Borough14,50455.5011,62744.50Donegal County25,88161.4416,24438.56Dublin County17,31748.2918,54651.71Dublin County Borough76,11952.8467,94747.16Galway County33,65365.4217,78834.58Kerry County21,62765.0911,59934.91Kildare County11,86958.638,37641.37Kilkenny County13,92157.8610,14042.14Laois County9,54054.597,93745.41Leitrim County8,49744.4310,62655.57Limerick County and County Borough33,12760.2821,82839.72Longford County5,97436.2910,48663.71Louth County14,31254.4211,98745.58Mayo County28,41857.8620,69542.14Meath County14,65562.808,68037.20Monaghan County13,67161.878,42738.13Offaly County11,67262.706,94437.30Roscommon County15,85352.2214,50747.78Sligo County10,85744.2513,67655.75Tipperary North County13,08257.529,66042.48Tipperary South County16,69655.2413,53144.76Waterford County11,25162.826,65837.18Waterford County Borough6,21557.824,53342.18Westmeath County10,62050.1710,54849.83Wexford County17,20953.3215,06546.68Wicklow County10,98253.979,36746.03 Total 565,16555.49453,42544.51 References collapsed Category:1945 elections in the Republic of Ireland Presidential election Category:Presidential elections in Ireland Category:June 1945 in Europe