The Irish general election of 1922 took place in Southern Ireland on June 16, 1922, under the provisions of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to elect a constituent assembly paving the way for the establishment of the Irish Free State. For Irish Republicans this chose the membership of the Third Dáil of the Irish Republic; under the provisions of the treaty it was a provisional parliament replacing the parliament of Southern Ireland. From 6 December 1922 it was the Dáil Éireann of the Irish Free State.

Campaign

As in the Irish elections, 1921 in the south, Sinn Féin stood one candidate for every seat, except those for the University of Dublin and one other; the treaty had divided the party between 65 pro-treaty candidates, 57 anti-treaty and 1 nominally on both sides. Unlike the elections a year earlier, other parties stood in most constituencies forcing single transferable vote elections, with Sinn Féin losing 30 seats.

To avoid a deeper split both Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins worked out a "pact" before the election. It was agreed that the pro-treaty and anti-treaty factions would fight the general election jointly and form a coalition government afterwards. This pact prevented voters giving their opinions on the treaty itself, especially in uncontested seats.

After the elections, the elected anti-treaty members boycotted the assembly to launch the Irish civil war leading to the killing of Collins in an anti-treaty ambush. The boycott gave an effective majority to the pro-treaty members of Sinn Féin, and so enabled W.T. Cosgrave to establish the Second Irish Provisional Government and later the First Executive Council of the Irish Free State.

Results

The results were as follows:

First time TDs

Retiring TDs

• Kathleen Clarke (lost seat)

See also

• Government of the 3rd Dáil

Elections in independent Ireland | 1922 elections