[19] The party holds socially conservative positions, with a significant policy being opposition to abortion,[3][13] and is left-wing on economic issues.

[26][27] Tóibín began canvassing elected representatives, securing support within a week from two local councillors in the Republic.

[34] Aontú would "seek to build an all-Ireland economy to mitigate the worst effects of Brexit, economic justice for all and to protect the right to life".

[38] Later in May 2019, the party put forward 53 candidates in the 2019 local elections in the Republic Ireland, including its seven sitting councillors.

At the 2022 Ard Fheis, Mullen stepped down from the position of deputy leader and was replaced by Gemma Brolly, Aontú candidate for East Londonderry at the May 2022 Assembly election.

In November 2020, the Standards in Public Office Commission announced that Aontú were one of five political parties who failed to provide them with a set of audited accounts for 2019, in breach of statutory obligations.

[50] Mairéad Tóibín unsuccessfully contested the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election, coming ninth with 740 first preference votes (2.8%).

None of Aontú's 19 candidates were elected, with their incumbent councillor in Derry City and Strabane District Council losing his seat.

It also fielded candidates in three constituencies for the 2024 European Parliament elections: Peadar Tóibín in Midlands North West, Patrick Murphy in Ireland South and Aisling Considine in Dublin.

[60] In the 2024 Westminster election in Northern Ireland, Aontú stood in 10 of 18 constituencies,[61] winning no seats from 7,466 votes (1.0% of the total).

[66] Inactive Defunct Party founder and leader Peadar Tóibín has described Aontú as left of centre economically while "socially conservative".

[7] Political researchers Gilles Ivaldi and Emilia Zankina wrote that the party is left-wing populist, and rivals with Sinn Féin.

[13][73][74] The party condemns "culture wars" and argues that they serve to distract from the issues of Irish unity and economic justice.

[72][80][81] Tóibín stated that Ireland has a moral obligation to offer sanctuary to immigrants who flee war, famine or violence, but also argued that there should be no "orthodoxy and uniformity" on the issue.

[87] Gilles Ivaldi and Emilia Zankina argue that the party's views on immigration make it a more conservative left-wing populist competitor with Sinn Féin.

It also proposes conducting an ethics audit to ensure that Irish public institutions do not cooperate nor fund Israel.

[90] As of early 2020, the party's published policies included proposals for a united Ireland, a referendum on a "right to collective bargaining and trade union membership",[91] an end to zero hours contracts,[91] and increased state spending on public housing.

[91] Tóibín stressed the importance of economic issues, stating that one "cannot be a left-wing political party and allow for your communities to slide into poverty and sit by idly by".

[93] In their 2021 budget submission, the party called on changes to the state pension scheme, reducing Leap Card fares and increasing the Banking Levy.

[98][99][100][101] The party retains the ideology of Irish republicanism,[102] and related policies; for example, Aontú maintains a policy of abstentionism, which means that while it runs candidates in Northern Ireland in British general elections, should an Aontú candidate be elected, they would not take up their seat in the British parliament.