Ireland goes to the polls today in a vote that looks closer than previously expected after prime minister Simon Harris lost the momentum that motivated him to call an election a few months ahead of scheduleHarris’s strong polling numbers since he became Taoiseach seven months ago,

The two ruling center-right parties and the opposition Sinn Fein took equal shares of the vote, according to an exit poll. Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris had called for snap polls earlier this month.

A fumbled meeting with a voter may dent Simon Harris’s popularity. But his coalition government’s main opposition, the nationalist party Sinn Fein, will likely remain locked out of 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.

Ireland began voting Friday in a closely-fought general election with the incumbent coalition neck-and-neck with opposition party Sinn Fein after a campaign marked by rancour over housing and cost-of-living crises.

Sinn Féin leads in the Irish General Election exit poll with 21.1% of first-preference votes, followed closely by Fine Gael at 21% and Fianna Fáil at 19.5%.

Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris had called for snap polls earlier this month.Voting began on Friday morning in Ireland's general election amid a tight race between the incumbent coalition parties and the opposition party Sinn Fein.