 Section 96 of the Electoral Act 1992 requires that the poll is held, not earlier than the seventeenth day or later than the twenty-fifth day, following the day on which the Dáil is formally dissolved by the President.The writs for the election are issued by the Clerk of the Dáil on the day the Dáil is dissolved.Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin said the general election was likely to take place in mid-March 2011.