Irish general election: Exit poll predicts ‘tie’ between three main parties
Exit poll suggests little difference between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. …
The three main political parties have tied in first preference votes, according to an exit poll for the Republic of Ireland’s general election.
The earliest indications from the poll suggest there is little difference between Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil.
Polling closed in the general election at 22:00 GMT.
Counting to elect the 33rd Dáil (Irish parliament) will begin on Sunday in all 39 constituencies.
The poll was commissioned jointly by RTÉ, The Irish Times, TG4 and UCD and included sampling of 5,000 respondents at 250 polling stations.
RTÉ says voting appears to have been “solid”.
A total of 160 representatives will be returned to the Dáil and newly elected TDs will gather on 20 February .
The ceann comhairle, or speaker, is automatically re-elected.
In most situations, the speaker does not vote, so a government will need 80 TDs to hold a majority.
It is unlikely that any party will reach that number, so another coalition government is probable.
The election uses proportional representation with a single transferrable vote.
Voters wrote “1” opposite their first choice candidate, “2” opposite their second choice, “3” opposite their third choice and so on.
People living on 12 islands off the coasts of counties Galway, Mayo and Donegal voted on Friday.
Legislation to allow islanders to vote on the same day as other voters had not been passed by the time the general election was called.
Traditionally, islanders have voted ahead of the rest of the country to ensure that bad weather does not hamper the return of ballot boxes to the mainland in time for the count, which will start on Sunday.
About 2,100 island residents were eligible to vote.
It is the first time that a general election in the Republic of Ireland has been held on a Saturday.
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