1990 Irish presidential election

1990 Irish presidential election

← 1983 7 November 1990 1997 →
Turnout	64.1%
Nominee Mary Robinson Brian Lenihan Austin Currie Party Labour Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Alliance Workers' Party[a] Green Party[b] 1st round 612,265 38.9% 694,484 44.1% 267,902 17.0% 2nd round 817,830 51.9% 731,273 46.5% Eliminated
Results of the 1st round by constituency Results of the 2nd round by constituency
President before election Patrick Hillery Fianna Fáil Elected President Mary Robinson Labour

The 1990 Irish presidential election was the tenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, the fifth to be contested by more than one candidate, and the first to have a female candidate and winner. It was held on Wednesday, 7 November 1990 and was won by Mary Robinson on a joint Labour Party and Workers' Party ticket. The election was the first time in history a Fianna Fáil candidate failed to win the presidency. It was also the first time the Labour Party had contested a presidential election. The election had one of the tightest margins of victory in Irish presidential elections history, and the final leg of the campaign was characterised by intense internal turmoil within the Fianna Fáil party as well as personal attacks on the candidates from competing political parties. The election was considered a political failure for the Fine Gael party and would cause their leader, Alan Dukes, to resign in the immediate aftermath.

One of the central issues during the campaign was whether the role of the President should be expanded or not, with Robinson and Currie arguing it should while Lenihan argued against it. In the years following Robinson's election, she would transform the position into a much more visible and influential position in Irish politics.
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