Irish election: Vote counting underway as exit poll suggests another coalition

UTV's Political Editor Tracy McGee reports from Dublin, where votes are being tallied in the Irish General Election

Ballot counting is underway in Ireland's general election, as exit polling and informal vote tallies suggest a close race between the country's three largest political parties.

The tallies, carried out by party activists and volunteers as boxes opened on Saturday, revealed the largest opposition party Sinn Fein held 21.1% of first-preference votes.

This put them narrowly ahead of current coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail at 21% and 19.5% respectively, according to the Ipsos B&A Exit Poll commissioned by RTE, The Irish Times, TG4 and Trinity College Dublin.

Ireland’s complex system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote involves voters ranking candidates by preference - meaning ballots need to be counted several times, which can take days.

First counts which carry the potential for the election of new members of parliament, known as TDs in Ireland, are expected later on Saturday.

Most of the leaders of the main parties, including Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, deputy premier and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, and Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald seem set to be reelected.

However, Green leader Roderic O’Gorman, who is the head of the junior partner in the outgoing coalition, looks to fight to hold on to his seat.

He has conceded that a number of his colleagues will not retain their seats, amid the broader potential for a wipeout - reflecting the results of 2011's election, when the party lost all six of its TDs.Mr O’Gorman, the outgoing integration minister, said on Saturday: “It’s clear the Green Party has not had a good day.”

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A key factor in determining the final result of any Irish election is the transfer of votes based on a voter’s preferences, a key part of PR-STV.

It is through this system that candidates can still claim a seat after insufficient votes following a first count.

More than 3.6 million people were registered to vote in the election to choose their representatives across 43 constituencies, in a campaign that has focused on the country’s housing crisis, the response to a dramatic increase in immigration, and economic management for the cost of living, as well as potential future trade shocks.

There are a total of 174 seats in the country’s parliament to be filled, more than ever before.

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