Ireland has proved a partial exception to the anti-incumbent mood in elections around the world. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, which have dominated Irish politics for a century, remain in the driving seat, though their combined share of the vote has declined to just over 40%.

Ireland's two large centre-right parties looked set to be returned to power after an election on Friday, but will likely need at least one smaller partner to secure a majority, raising questions over the stability of the next government.

At one level, the vote was an endorsement of continuity, but the stability in Ireland’s political center ground masked volatility on the fringes.

Ireland is heading for a return of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Simon Harris’s Fine Gael party and Fianna Fail, as voters bucked a recent international trend of ousting incumbent parties.

As the Republic of Ireland’s election weekend reached the mid-point, unpredictability began to give way to some clarity. The most obvious route to a coalition looks to be a combination of the centre right parties who have dominated Irish governments for a century,