The Finance Bill has passed all the stages of the Dáil – opening the way for the General Election to be called in the coming days.

The Bill, which gives effect to the budget, passed by a margin of 75 to 55 in the Dáil last night.

It is now at third Stage before the Seanad where it will be considered before being passed to President Michael D Higgins who will be asked to sign it into law.

The Taoiseach yesterday said he intends to dissolve the Dáil later this week – citing the bill as one of the final pieces of work that needed to be completed before the election was called.

“I don’t think this will come as a shock to anybody in this country.”

The Taoiseach has confirmed that he plans to call the #GeneralElection later this week.

— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) November 5, 2024

On the way to Cabinet, Simon Harris said the move would leave enough time for a full election campaign this month.

He said successful parties would then have an opportunity to try and form a Government over December and the Christmas period.

“I'm really looking forward to the weeks ahead,” he said. “This is a great country and it can be even better.

“We now have significant resources at our disposal; we have significant policies and plans and I believe with a mix of energy and experience, we can make really good progress over the next few years on a whole range of issues.”

It remains unclear whether Mr Harris will call the election on Thursday or Friday.

Should he call it on Thursday, he will likely do so in the Dáil before travelling to Budapest for a meeting with EU leaders.

His second option will be to wait until he returns from Hungary the following day.

Mr Harris had previously said that he will "move swiftly" in seeking a dissolution from the President after the Finance Bill is passed.