DUBLIN, Feb 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ireland’s main opposition party Fianna Fail edged out surging nationalists Sinn Fein by 38 seats to 37 to emerge as the biggest party in the country’s 160-seat parliament after counting in a national election concluded on Monday.
Sinn Fein’s low number of candidates meant it could not capitalize on winning the popular vote but for the first time it overtook Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s Fine Gael, which fell to 35 seats in the highly fractured parliament.
A combination of two of the three big parties would require the support of other lawmakers or smaller parties to form a government. The Greens were next up with 12 seats, followed by the center-left Labour and Social Democrats on six seats each.
The tight numbers could lead to lengthy negotiations to form a government.
The election results were confirmed shortly after midnight when two Fianna Fáil candidates, Brendan Smith and Niamh Smyth, won the last two seats in Cavan-Monaghan.
The outcome was described as “something of a revolution in the ballot box” by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
With all first preferences counted, the left-wing republican party has taken 24.5% of the vote, compared to 22% for Fianna Fáil and 21% for Fine Gael.
Before the election, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had ruled out forging a coalition with left-wing republican party Sinn Féin, citing its tax policies and IRA past as deterrents.
On Sunday, taoiseach (Irish PM) and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar conceded it would be “challenging” to form a government.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin did not rule out working with Sinn Féin, but said “significant incompatibilities” still existed.
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald, who topped the poll in her four-seat Dublin Central constituency, said Sinn Féin wanted to be in government and was working to establish if the numbers were there to deliver it without Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. — NNN-AGENCIES