Landslide win expected for Higgins in presidential race

Michael D Higgins looks set to secure a second term as Irish president with a landslide margin as counting in the election continues.

While Higgins is on course for a potentially historic winning tally - with exit polls suggesting a vote over 56% - much focus in the early stages of the count is on the contender set to come second, controversial businessman Peter Casey.

Casey's vote appears to have surged on the back of his critical comments about the Travelling community and assertions that Ireland has a culture of welfare dependency.

Sinn Féin on the other hand look on course for a disappointing result, with candidate Liadh Ní Riada potentially only going to secure half of the support achieved by the late Martin McGuinness in 2011.

Casey's vote appears to have surged on the back of his critical comments about the Travelling community. Credit: Virgin Media News

The exit polls results put former Irish Dragons' Den star Casey in second with about 20% of first-preference votes.

Casey has hinted that he might now turn his focus to securing another elected office, potentially in the Dail.

An RTE exit poll has predicted 77-year-old Higgins received 58.1% of first preference votes, while an Irish Times poll projected Higgins topped the vote with 56%.

If he secures more than 56.3% of the vote he will record the highest ever winning percentage in a presidential election.

More than 3.2 million people were entitled to vote in 40 constituencies across the country.

RTÉ exit poll

  • Michael D Higgins (58.1%)

  • Peter Casey (20.7%)

  • Liadh Ní Riada (7.4%)

  • Joan Freeman (6.3%)

  • Seán Gallagher (5.5%)

  • Gavin Duffy (2.0%)

Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI exit poll

  • Michael D Higgins (56%)

  • Peter Casey (21%)

  • Liadh Ní Riada (8%)

  • Joan Freeman (7%)

  • Seán Gallagher (6%)

  • Gavin Duffy (2%)

As well as deciding who they wanted to see in the president's residence at Aras an Uachtarain for the next seven years, the electorate was also asked whether they wanted to remove the offence of blasphemy from the Irish constitution.

The exit polls suggest that the referendum will be passed by a significant majority.

An exit poll from RTÉ found that 71.1% said they had voted Yes and that 26.3% had voted No, while the Irish Times poll predicted that 69% had backed the proposal and 31% had voted against the change.

A result is expected by Saturday evening