Irish General Election result on a knife edge
THE counting process has begun in Ireland’s general election, with an exit poll indicating the result is on a knife edge.
The poll reported an extraordinary statistical dead heat between Fine Gael, Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail, all on around 22 per cent.
If the results are borne out when the ballots are counted, the task of forming a coalition government looks extremely complicated. Counting is expected to last at least two days.
The first seat declared shortly after 4pm yesterday was Sinn Fein’s Donnchadh O Laoghaire, who topped the poll ahead of Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.
The uncertainty created by the exit poll has even thrown up the spectre of another general election.
Ballot boxes opened at count centres around the country at yesterday 9am with a lengthy count process ahead.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have vowed never to go into government with Sinn Fein, and Fianna Fail has ruled out a “grand coalition” with Fine Gael.
If parties stick to their pledges it would be extremely difficult for any of the three to lead a majority government.
Smaller parties such as the Greens, Labour, the Social Democrats and Solidarity/People Before Profit – and a sizeable number of independent TDs – may all be courted as the main parties seek junior coalition partners.
The exit poll indicated a remarkable three-way tie, with Fine Gael on 22.4 per cent, Sinn Fein on 22.3 per cent and Fianna Fail on 22.2 per cent. The poll has a 1.3 per cent margin of error.
While the poll suggests a major breakthrough for Sinn Fein in the Irish Republic, the party is still unlikely to emerge with the largest number of seats because it ran significantly fewer candidates – 42 compared with Fianna Fail’s 84 and Fine Gael’s 82.
There are 160 seats in the
Dail parliament. The speaker is automatically re-elected, leaving 159 seats up for grabs.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s last government – a minority Fine Gael-led administration that included several independent TDs – was sustained in power through a historic confidence and supply arrangement with Fianna Fail.
Fine Gael business minister Heather Humphreys has said it was not a mistake for her party to put Brexit at the centre of its reelection strategy. “A lot of people obviously thought Brexit is over... Brexit is far from over,” she said.
A lot of people obviously thought Brexit is over ... it is far from over. Fine Gael business minister Heather Humphreys.