| Election Name: | 1987 Irish general election |
| Country: | Ireland |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | November 1982 Irish general election |
| Previous Mps: | 24th Dáil |
| Next Election: | 1989 Irish general election |
| Next Year: | 1989 |
| Seats For Election: | 166 seats in Dáil Éireann |
| Majority Seats: | 84 |
| Election Date: | 17 February 1987 |
| Elected Mps: | 25th Dáil |
| Leader1: | Charles Haughey |
| Leader Since1: | 7 December 1979 |
| Party1: | Fianna Fáil |
| Last Election1: | 75 seats, 45.2% |
| Seats1: | 81 |
| Seat Change1: | 6 |
| Popular Vote1: | 784,547 |
| Percentage1: | 44.2% |
| Swing1: | 1.0% |
| Leader Since2: | 1977 |
| Party2: | Fine Gael |
| Leaders Seat2: | Dublin South-East |
| Last Election2: | 70 seats, 39.2% |
| Seats2: | 51 |
| Seat Change2: | 19 |
| Popular Vote2: | 481,127 |
| Percentage2: | 27.1% |
| Swing2: | 12.1% |
| Image3: | PD |
| Leader Since3: | 21 December 1985 |
| Party3: | Progressive Democrats |
| Leaders Seat3: | Limerick East |
| Last Election3: | New party |
| Seats Before3: | 5 |
| Seats3: | 14 |
| Seat Change3: | 14 |
| Popular Vote3: | 210,583 |
| Percentage3: | 11.9% |
| Swing3: | New party |
| Leader4: | Dick Spring |
| Leader Since4: | November 1982 |
| Party4: | Labour Party (Ireland) |
| Leaders Seat4: | Kerry North |
| Last Election4: | 16 seats, 9.4% |
| Seats4: | 12 |
| Seat Change4: | 4 |
| Popular Vote4: | 114,551 |
| Percentage4: | 6.5% |
| Swing4: | 2.9% |
| Leader5: | Tomás Mac Giolla |
| Leader Since5: | 1977 |
| Party5: | Workers' Party (Ireland) |
| Leaders Seat5: | Dublin West |
| Last Election5: | 2 seats, 3.3% |
| Seats5: | 4 |
| Seat Change5: | 2 |
| Popular Vote5: | 67,293 |
| Percentage5: | 3.8% |
| Swing5: | 0.5% |
| Image6: | DSP |
| Leader6: | Jim Kemmy |
| Leader Since6: | 1982 |
| Party6: | Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland) |
| Leaders Seat6: | Limerick East |
| Last Election6: | 0 seats, 0.4% |
| Seats6: | 1 |
| Seat Change6: | 1 |
| Popular Vote6: | 7,424 |
| Percentage6: | 0.4% |
| Taoiseach | |
| Posttitle: | Taoiseach after election |
| Before Election: | Garret FitzGerald |
| Before Party: | Fine Gael |
| After Election: | Charles Haughey |
| After Party: | Fianna Fáil |
| Turnout: | 73.3% 0.4pp |
The 1987 Irish general election to the 25th Dáil was held on Tuesday, 17 February, four weeks after the dissolution of the 24th Dáil on 20 January by President Patrick Hillery, on the request of Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald. A continuing crisis over public finance and a rejection of the budget had led to the Labour Party withdrawing from the Fine Gael–led coalition government. The general election took place in 41 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas. There were minor amendments to constituency boundaries under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1983.
The 25th Dáil met at Leinster House on 10 March to nominate the Taoiseach for appointment by the president and to approve the appointment of a new government of Ireland. Charles Haughey was appointed Taoiseach, forming the 20th government of Ireland, a minority single-party Fianna Fáil government.
The 1987 general election was precipitated by the withdrawal of the Labour Party from the Fine Gael–led government on 20 January 1987. The reason was a disagreement over budget proposals. Rather than attempt to press on with the government's agenda, the Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael, Garret FitzGerald, sought a dissolution of the Dáil. An unusually long period of four weeks was set for the campaign.
Fianna Fáil's campaign involved a refusal to make any definite commitments; however, it attempted to convince the electorate that the country would be better under Fianna Fáil. Charles Haughey's attitudes toward Northern Ireland and the Anglo-Irish Agreement were both attacked. However, the campaign was mostly fought on economic issues.
The Labour Party decided against any pre-election pact, particularly with Fine Gael. The Progressive Democrats (PD), founded only two years earlier, surpassed Labour as the third-biggest political party in the Dáil. Although the majority of the PD party consisted of Fianna Fáil defectors, it mainly took seats from Fine Gael.
|}
Although opinion polls had suggested otherwise, Fianna Fáil once again failed to win an overall majority. The Progressive Democrats did exceptionally well in their first general election, becoming the third-biggest party in the Dáil. Fine Gael lost many seats, mostly to the PDs. The Labour Party fell to its lowest share of the vote since 1933, but managed to salvage 12 seats, more than expected, including that of its leader Dick Spring, who saved his seat by just four votes.
Fianna Fáil formed the 20th government of Ireland, a minority government, with Charles Haughey returning as Taoiseach. Haughey was nominated as Taoiseach with the votes of his own party, the support of Independent Fianna Fáil TD Neil Blaney and the abstention of Independent TD Tony Gregory. That left him with just half of votes cast. Ceann Comhairle Seán Treacy exercised his casting vote in favour of the nomination of Haughey. The Fianna Fáil government of 1987 to 1989 was the last time to date that a government composed only of members of one party has been formed in Ireland.
The following changes took place at the election:
The Dáil election was followed by an election to the 18th Seanad.